


Wine stains

by julla



Category: Fantastic Baby - BIGBANG (Music Video), GTOP (Band)
Genre: GTOP, M/M, gtopau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-07 00:17:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14068746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julla/pseuds/julla
Summary: Seunghyun makes Jiyong feel young and beautiful again.Crossposted from aff.





	1. 1

It was almost totally quiet. Only the sound of the gentle waves playing softly down the shore against the big rocks. The sun was setting and it was the most gorgeous view. That’s why Jiyong loved it here so much. As much as he missed home sometimes, he would never move back to Seoul. This was his home now. And it was almost magical.  
He had always liked Jeju. He and his mom and dad had always come here on holiday during school breaks. As a kid, he always mainly focused on food and fun stuff like the beaches and parks. But now, he enjoyed the gentle air from the sea and the quiet. It was always so quiet. Jiyong’s life had always been pretty hectic. Ten years in the modelling industry made him appreciate the smaller things in life. He was 34 now and hadn’t modelled in a few years already. The only thing connecting him still to the fashion world was his boyfriend, who was a fashion photographer, and his passion for design. Other than that, he had said his goodbye to that part of his life. For obvious reasons.  
His eyes were on the setting sun as it sank lower and lower into the calm sea, when the kettle whistled in the kitchen. He was going to make some tea to fight with the chilliness of the evening breeze, but it was such bad timing, the sun was almost swallowed completely by the bottomless blue.  
The shudder in his shoulders made him move his ass though and he shed the warming fleece blanket from his shoulders to go to the kitchen to make the tea. He passed Haechan on his way there. The man was working on something on his laptop by the counter.  
“Would you like some tea, honey?” Jiyong asked as he took a mug out of the cupboard.  
“Nah..” Haechan absently waved his hand at him.  
Jiyong didn’t let it bother him and he took the mug over to the still steaming kettle. Fishing a teabag out of the jar by the window, something caught his eye. Or someone. A young man was standing by the hedge lining their and their neighbor’s front lawn. He seemed to be working on the low bushes there, probably trimming them, but had stopped at the moment to look at the beautiful sunset which was shining through the gap between the two houses. There was a calm bliss written all over the boy’s face as he enjoyed the colourful sky of oranges and pinks.  
Jiyong realized he was staring when it took him a little too long to get the teabag out of the jar. He lowered his eyes and dunked the bag of dried fruit into the hot water and turned away from the window. He leaned against the counter lightly.  
“Who’s that guy working on the hedge?” he asked, curious.  
Haechan looked up from the screen then.  
“Mm? Who?”  
“Someone’s trimming the hedge on Minhae’s side,” Jiyong said, pointing behind his shoulder.  
Haechan just shrugged and that was all the attention he had to spare for Jiyong. He looked back at the computer screen.  
Warm tea in hand now, Jiyong decided to go back on the balcony to take the most from the nice evening. He turned and put the teaspoon into the dishwasher. Before turning away, his eyes flicked down in the front of the house again and took another glance of the stranger who was now back to clipping away the tips of the bushes.  
The sun had now set completely, but the view was still breath taking. The stray clouds were casting artistic shadows on the mysterious beauty of the evening sky. Jiyong sighed and sunk into the comfy chair, the blanket and tea warming him.  
Soon, the mug in his hands had turned cold, tea almost gone as well, and the sky was turning a dark shade of blue. It had gotten a bit too cold to enjoy it anyways, so he decided to head inside. Heading straight to the kitchen to dispose of the tea mug, he addressed his busy boyfriend again.  
“I’m going to bed, it’s late.”  
“Good idea. I’ll come soon too,” Haechan replied.  
Jiyong merely nodded and made his way down the hall to their bedroom. He was hoping to get to bed before Haechan caught up with him. He went to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth and went to the bedroom then. He was just about to take his shirt off, when the door to the room opened.  
“Leave it on,” Haechan’s low voice said calmly as he walked in and closed the door behind him.  
Jiyong closed his eyes. He lowered his arms and just stood still. Haechan walked over slowly and slid his hands on Jiyong’s waist. He lowered his lips on the back of Jiyong’s neck and breathed in his sweet scent, hands tightening their hold on the younger’s body. Humming, he started kissing Jiyong’s neck and pulled him closer. Jiyong kept his eyes closed. Haechan’s hand lowered itself on Jiyong’s laced crotch then and Jiyong’s mouth fell open. The older man felt him up boldly and Jiyong let out a gasp.  
“You like that, huh? You fucking slut. Wearing lace for your man, hmm?” Haechan hissed against his neck as he pushed himself against Jiyong’s ass.  
Jiyong whimpered slightly and nodded but Haechan’s other hand shot up then and grabbed him by his neck so Jiyong stilled.  
“Good boy,” Haechan breathed into his ear and nibbled on the lobe softly.  
Panting slightly, Jiyong pushed himself back onto the man’s hardon which was currently being grinded against his ass. Haechan was nicely fondling him and he was slowly getting turned on.  
“You want it?” Haechan smiled and made a pointed thrust back. “Hmm?”  
“Yes,” Jiyong whispered.  
No wasn’t an option, he knew. But he didn’t mind. Sex was good with Haechan. He knew this is why he was here in the first place. And he was glad.  
Haechan then pulled down Jiyong’s panties a bit and slid a saliva slick finger in between his cheeks to tease his hole. Jiyong was almost always ready for him and it pleased the older man. He hummed sweetly as his finger penetrated Jiyong slowly and Jiyong let out a moan.  
“Get on the bed,” Haechan said.  
Jiyong detangled himself from the possessive grip and crawled up on the white sheets and turned around, expectantly looking at his older boyfriend. Haechan lowered himself on the bed as well and pulled off Jiyong’s black panties which had still been halfway around his thighs. Haechan slid his hands up Jiyong’s smooth legs and Jiyong’s head shot back into the soft pillow with a moan when Haechan’s warm mouth engulfed his cock.


	2. 2

Jiyong woke up really hot and sweaty the next morning from sleeping with his shirt on. It was a lovely weather outside though, he saw from the window, so he smiled sleepily and turned onto his side, stretching a bit. Haechan was still asleep behind him. Jiyong was not going wake him just yet but when he got up to open a window to let in some air, he noticed the time and gasped softly.   
“Honey! It’s already after ten!”  
Haechan woke up to that and glanced at him with one eye open.  
“Mh?”  
“Your plane leaves at one! You should be at the airport in an hour!” Jiyong half scolded the older, flipping through his calendar.   
Haechan sighed and turned on his back, relaxing into the warm sheets a bit but sat up then.  
“You’re right, you’re right. Thanks for waking me,” he said and got up from the bed.  
“I’ll go take a shower.”  
“Good. I’ll fix you breakfast. Will you take the car or should I get you a taxi?” Jiyong asked.   
“Taxi,” Haechan said before closing the door after disappearing into the bathroom.   
Jiyong got properly dressed and opened the bedroom window before going downstairs to get breakfast ready. He called Haechan a taxi as he was getting the kimchi out of the fridge and scooped some rice into a bowl. They got some leftover fishcakes and sausages in the fridge and he was heating them up when Haechan got downstairs, dressed nicely. Jiyong smiled when he saw him and brought the tray with the food over to the counter where the older sat down.  
“When will you be back?” he asked.  
“Thursday, I’m afraid.”  
“The photoshoot lasts for four days? Five?” Jiyong asked, frowning a bit, and sat across from him.  
“We have a lot of models this time. And I have some other business in Seoul as well. Might as well get to it while I’m there,” the older explained as he chewed.   
Jiyong didn’t say anything, just watched him eat.   
“Your taxi will be here soon. Do you have your suitcase ready?” he asked after a bit.  
“Pretty much,” Haechan replied.   
Jiyong nodded and sighed lightly, propping himself up on the counter and looked outside from the window. The guy was mowing the grass now and Jiyong wondered if their neighbor Minhae had hired a gardener.   
Choi Seunghyun had woken up that morning to his great aunt ushering him out to work in the front garden again. He was surprised she even gave him breakfast. He had come here to work on his thesis but so far he had gotten no work done. At least he still had three months to complete it so he wasn’t exactly worried. Still, he figured the sooner he got the urgent yard work done, the sooner he got to get to work on his paper. This time, the grass was to be mown. He had no idea who did this work for his great aunt usually, but to be fair, he didn’t really mind doing it either. She let him stay there for the whole summer for free, so the least he could do was to help around with some house work. Minhae was quite old and until now, Seunghyun hadn’t been in close contact to be honest. He and his mother had always lived in Seoul, but he remembers when he was young, they had come here with their other relatives. He was 25 now, and he believed this was maybe only the third time he had been here. Hearing his mother had arranged this for him to get some space and free time for these months, he had been ecstatic. This was perfect. Jeju was lovely. And he enjoyed the peace and quiet this place had to offer. Not much to do, but maybe it was for the best. The sooner he finished his paper, the best, he supposed.   
The mower caught a rock then and stopped abruptly. Seunghyun scrunched his nose and crouched down to inspect. A car stopped on the end of their street. The street ended with his great aunt’s house so there weren’t many options where the car wanted to go from here. Seunghyun looked up and saw it was a taxi and that’s when he heard someone talk not far from him and he looked over the fence discreetly. Ah, the neighbors.   
“Call me when you get settled, yeah?” Jiyong said as Haechan got the taxi driver to load his suitcase in the trunk.   
Seunghyun stared pretty openly by then. He was completely entranced. The small man behind the low hedge was absolutely stunning. He was wearing simple black skinny jeans and a flowy white shirt. His movements were so airy, it almost felt like he was floating around. Like an angel. His hair was soft looking and cut nicely. As he was observing, the man glanced at him for a moment and his face fell a bit. Jiyong’s eyes were so icy on him, Seunghyun forced himself to lower his gaze and he got back to fixing the machine in hand.   
Haechan turned to Jiyong then.  
“Alright, I’ll see you on Thursday.”  
Jiyong smiled again, “Alright.”  
He got on his tippy toes and pecked the older’s lips quickly. Haechan got into the waiting taxi then and was off. Jiyong stood by the road for a few more moments before making his way back inside without sparing another glance at the man with the broken down lawn mower.  
Jiyong got back inside and went to the kitchen to have some breakfast as well. Now that Haechan was gone, he felt much lighter. He put some music on as he heat up his own food and prepared some quick kimchi soup. As he was chopping the spring onions, the boy outside caught his eye again and he looked up. He had stared at him earlier and it made his stomach churn. Wasn’t exactly sure if in a good or a bad way. The boy’s gaze was so deep and dark. Jiyong pouted a bit and went back to chopping onions. He didn’t know what to think of it so he chose not to think about it at all. At least as long as he could.   
Soon, Seunghyun gave up and Jiyong’s eyes followed him as he walked back inside, mower in tow.   
Jiyong wasn’t going to let himself get distracted by something like this. So he turned the music a bit louder and got to eating. After breakfast, he had a refreshing shower and for the rest of the day, he just relaxed in the back garden in his sunbathing chair, reading, napping and listening to music. Their back yard ended literally with the sea. And the steady waves soothed Jiyong. Like this, he didn’t feel lonely. Just relaxed and happy.   
Jiyong had been together with Haechan for six years already, and he had lived with him in his house in Jeju for the past four. They had met on the set, back when Jiyong was still working as a model and Haechan had been his photographer that day and they worked well together. Haechan had complimented him left and right on his work that day and they ended up doing it in the bathroom the minute the day was wrapped up. After that, Jiyong had just kind of went along with it all. Some people gave him weird glances after he and Haechan had gotten a bit more serious and actually started dating. But Jiyong understood them. His boyfriend was quite a bit older than him. The older man was getting close to turning sixty and Jiyong had been barely thirty. But it didn’t matter to Jiyong. He was a handsome man, a talented photographer, and a rich one at that. Jiyong felt lucky to have him. Back then, at least. Now, he knew all their relationship was, was sex. He didn’t love Haechan. And Haechan probably didn’t love him either. The man had never expressed it, any ways. But Jiyong had no one else. So he was fine with settling with whatever he could have. And this was nice. He liked his life here. He stayed here all the time when Haechan travelled to Seoul and even around the world. He knew what the older man was up to, he wasn’t a fool. But frankly, he didn’t care. He was settling with whatever he could have.   
After giving up with the lawn mower in the morning, Seunghyun had sat himself down upstairs in his room by the desk. The grass could wait until tomorrow. Concentrating so hard on his work, he hadn’t even noticed that it had gotten dark already. Suddenly, light from his window caught his eye and he looked up. It was the lights from the neighbor’s house being switched on. But then Seunghyun realized what he was seeing. It was the beautiful man from that morning. Seunghyun stilled and watched silently. He wasn’t even sure if he was breathing. The man was wearing a white floral bathrobe and was lightly drying his dark hair as he made his way around the room. He went in and out of view for a few times as he was walking around but then he flicked on the little radio on his dressing table and sat down. He cutely shook his hair around and danced a bit in front of the mirror. That made Seunghyun chuckle lightly. He smiled as he watched the man dry his hair and seemingly singing along to whatever music he was currently listening to. Seunghyun looked down and saved the work he had done so far and closed his laptop then. He knew he probably was a bit of a creep, looking at his neighbor like that, but this was harmless. In his opinion, at least.   
Jiyong had been doing his evening face routine for quite a while now but his new neighbor didn’t seem to get tired of watching him moisturize his skin for one bit. Suddenly, he seemed to be done then as he stood up and walked out of Seunghyun’s view. When he walked back into view though, all air got knocked out of Seunghyun because the man he had been staring for the past half hour was now as naked as a jaybird and went to hang up his bathrobe by the door. Seunghyun knew he was crossing the line right this very moment, but he couldn’t help himself. His eyes were glued on the perfect little butt. Until the lights went out and he saw absolutely nothing anymore. He let out a shuddering breath after a moment of holding it and decided this was a good time to start getting ready to go to bed as well.


	3. 3

Today, the weather wasn’t quite as pleasant as the past few days, but it was still nice. The sky was a light shade of grey and so the sun didn’t even show itself, but it was still warm, and luckily not that windy. It can get pretty windy in Jeju.  
Jiyong got downstairs and walked straight over to the big windows facing the back yard and the sea. He pouted a bit, seeing the weather, but when he opened the door to the balcony, the smile was back on his lips. He liked this. The warm air and the smell of sea. After a light breakfast, he grabbed his phone and a little soft blanket and headed out in the back. Without Haechan here, he felt as if he was on vacation. He laid the blanket down on a sunbathing chair and lied down. 

“You should be thanking me, y’know!”  
Seunghyun looked at his great aunt with a confused look, mouth full of rice. ‘Can’t even have breakfast in peace’ he thought.  
“Mhph?”  
The old lady pointed over to the counter by the sink where a cake was cooling on a cooling rack.  
“I baked a cake on your behalf. To Jiyong and Haechan. They’re our neighbors. I think you should go say hello. You’re going to stay here the whole summer anyways. Would be polite of you,” the lady said, wiping down the counter with a wet cloth.  
“Augh! Aunt! I thought the cake was for me! The whole house smells sweet! You got my salivary glands working already! You can’t do this to me!” Seunghyun whined.  
Minhae only gave him a glare.  
“Besides, one of them left yesterday. I saw him get into the taxi with a suitcase. So I would go some other day, right?” Seunghyun asked, face hopeful. “Let’s just eat it!”  
Minhae shook her head.  
“Just take it to Jiyong then. He is nicer than Haechan anyways. Maybe you guys can be friends? Haechan is away a lot, for work. Maybe he would appreciate company.”  
Seunghyun swallowed thickly. He just remembered who they were talking about. The pretty man! With the pretty eyes and plump lips and..  
“Okay!” Seunghyun said maybe a bit too loudly.  
He cleared his throat awkwardly.  
“I mean. Alright. I’ll take it to him.”  
His great aunt smiled at that and nodded happily, pleased. The thing is, the older lady knew for a fact Jiyong was lonely. The man was always home and always alone. She tried keeping him company sometimes but to be completely honest they hadn’t much to talk about so they mostly just talked about the weather or gardening. Sometimes Minhae baked him cakes and so she knew very well that Jiyong enjoys her upside down pineapple cake. Which she had also baked today.  
After breakfast, Seunghyun took the nicely prepared cake and headed over to the house next to their’s. Heart thumping loudly in his chest, he walked up to the front door and knocked before he could change his mind about this. But no one answered. He was almost completely sure the man was home, so he knocked again. And again. But there was still no answer. So the boy went back home, dragging his legs a bit.  
“Well? What happened?” Minhae asked when she saw Seunghyun step inside, the cake still in hand.  
“He didn’t answer the door,” Seunghyun said and placed the cake down on the table.  
Minhae tsked and walked over. She took the cake from the table again and pushed it to Seunghyun’s hands.  
“Don’t be silly. Just go from the back garden.”  
Seunghyun was sputtering, trying to tell something, but his great aunt was already pushing him out of the sliding door leading to the back garden. The small hedge was separating their properties here too so he had to go all the way to the rocks and climb over. 

There I was again tonight forcing laughter, faking smiles  
Same old tired, lonely place  
Walls of insincerity  
Shifting eyes and vacancy vanished when I saw your face  
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you  
Your eyes whispered "have we met?"  
Across the room your silhouette starts to make it's way to me  
The playful conversation starts  
Counter all your quick remarks like passing notes in secrecy  
All I can say is it was enchanting to meet you-  
Jiyong was nicely immersed somewhere in between reality and fantasy world when suddenly something made him slowly open his eyes. But when his eyes caught what actually made him wake, he let out a loud yelp and pulled his legs to his chest quickly. The boy was here! Jiyong was only wearing a shirt and his underpants so this is highly inappropriate. He scrambled to pull the blanket to cover himself from under him and pulled out his earbuds from his ears.  
“What the fuck!”  
‘Uh oh’ Seunghyun thought.  
“What the fuck are you doing here!?” Jiyong yelled and got up, draping the small blanket around his waist with shaky hands.  
He was honestly shocked and a little shaken up from the sudden intrusion. He looked up to the boy with big eyes, covering himself.  
“I- i-..” Seunghyun’s mouth hung open like he was a fish out of water.  
He was a bit shaken up as well, if he was honest. This wasn’t what he had expected to happen at all. He didn’t know what to say even.  
“I i what!?” Jiyong demanded.  
Seunghyun looked at him for a few moments with his breath caught up in his throat. He had obviously scared the man and he felt incredibly bad. This had obviously been a mistake coming here.  
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly and placed the cake on the low coffee table that was next to Jiyong’s chair.  
He turned around quickly and half jogged back to the rocks to get back to his own side of the hedge. He didn’t even so much as glance over his neighbor anymore. He went back inside and pulled the sliding door closed with a loud click before running up the stairs two steps at a time and locked himself in his room. He fell down on his bed with a thump and welcomed the warm smothering of his soft sheets. He had fucked up so bad. He wanted to scream.

Jiyong had watched the younger hurry away with an incredulous look on his face. He huffed angrily and got inside as well. He tossed the blanket on the couch and made his way upstairs. He noticed that his hands were shaking still so he thought a nice relaxing bath would be a good idea right about now.  
After an hour of soaking in the hot water, his mind had eased and he wasn’t angrily cussing at the stranger anymore. His eyebrows still furrowed thinking about earlier though. After drying himself, he put on his soft bathrobe he loved and went back downstairs. He poured himself some wine and switched on the TV on a low volume. As he was walking towards the couch to sit down, something caught his eye outside. It was the cake. Still on the coffee table on the balcony. Jiyong stared at it for a moment and sighed then. He placed his wine glass on the glass table in front of the couch with a soft clink and walked over to the balcony door. He peeked outside for a second or two through the glass and then pushed the door open slightly. With light steps he padded out on the wooden floor and grabbed the cake from the table. It was his favorite from Minhae. Upside down pineapple cake. He smiled a bit and looked towards his neighbor’s house but his smile fell when he remembered once again what had occurred earlier. He realized he felt bad. A small breeze from the sea made his damp hair ruffle around and he went back inside quickly before catching a cold. Putting the cake into the fridge, he decided he should go over there tomorrow and talk things straight. 

Seunghyun was focused on his school work on his computer again. Had been for most of the day. There was a small knock on the door later in the evening.  
“Seunghyun-ah? I brought you dinner,” his aunt said, pushing the door open slowly.  
Seunghyun jumped up and helped her with the door.  
“Thank you,” he said as Minhae placed the tray with food next to his laptop.  
“No worries, sweetheart. Are you alright?”  
Seunghyun nodded.  
“Just worked on my paper.”  
Minhae smiled and nodded.  
“Alright, I’ll let you work. Good night.”  
“Good night,” Seunghyun said and watched his aunt go.  
He closed his laptop and sat down behind the desk again before he started having his dinner quietly. He’d had a bad mood since morning and he didn’t feel any better now. He sat there in the dark now, only his small lamp on the table giving the room a bit of light. The window across from his lit up then and he looked up automatically, his attention shifted. Jiyong entered his bedroom again. Chopsticks half way to his mouth, Seunghyun froze. This time, Jiyong was wearing only a white shirt. It barely covered him. Barely. He walked around carelessly. Arranged something on his dressing table. Checked his phone. Just doing nothing. Seunghyun put his chopsticks down and stood up. He went over to the window to scroll down the curtains but he peeked out behind the wall one last time, unable to stop himself. When Jiyong was just about to pull his shirt over his head, Seunghyun pulled down the curtains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lyrics belong to taylor swift but jiyong was listening to owl city :)


	4. 4

Minhae went to answer the door after she had heard a small knock by the front door. She took off her reading glasses and her slippers dragged her over to the corridor.   
“Jiyong!” she greeted cheerfully after opening the door. “Good morning, dear. What brings you by?”  
“Good morning, Minhae.” Jiyong smiled back, somewhat shy. “I apologize for bothering you so early in the morning.”  
“Oh, don’t be silly! Come in!”  
Jiyong smiled again and walked into the kitchen.  
“How can I help you, dear? Did you liked the cake?” Minhae asked.  
“Ah, see, that’s why I’m here. I believe you have a young man staying with you?”  
“Yes! Seunghyun! You met him yesterday, that’s right!”  
Jiyong touched his cheek nervously, feeling himself blush a little.  
“I’m afraid it didn’t go too well yesterday, if I’m being completely honest,” he confessed. “He caught me off guard and.. well, I came to apologize.”  
“Ahh…” the old lady nodded, understanding clear on her face. “I see. I already thought something had gone wrong. Seunghyun hasn’t come down since yesterday morning! Go one then, up you go!”   
She ushered Jiyong up the stairs to the second floor.  
“You can find him second door on the right!” she called after him and Jiyong sent her a thankful smile.  
He got to the door and stopped in front of it. He touched his hair nervously but then knocked quickly.  
“Yes, I’m up, aunt! Come in!” called from behind the door so Jiyong carefully opened the door.   
“Excuse me…” he said softly.   
Hearing a soft male voice coming from behind him, Seunghyun jumped a bit and turned around with his eyes blown wide. When he saw who it was, he scrambled to stand up from his desk and managed to hit his knee pretty badly. So when he turned to Jiyong at last he held his knee with a hiss and also simultaneously tried to flatten down his messy mop of a bed hair.  
“Hi. Hello.” He said then, trying to stand up straight.  
Jiyong awkwardly looked anywhere but at the boy.   
“Hi,” he said. “I came here to apologize for yesterday. I.. I didn’t mean to react like that. You just startled me and-“  
“Oh no! I should be the one apologizing. I really shouldn’t have come to your house like that and I really do feel bad.” Seunghyun said.   
Jiyong looked at him then. And nodded.   
“I really didn’t mean to upset you,” the older said.  
“Nor I you,” Seunghyun smiled.  
Jiyong smiled as well then and they shook hands.   
“I’m Seunghyun, by the way.”  
“Jiyong.”   
They withdrew their hands then and stood there, a bit awkwardly. Jiyong looked at Seunghyun for a few moments. Tall. Broad shoulders. Shy and cute. Messy hair and beautiful face. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth but he cleared his throat then and made conversation before it got too awkward.  
“So, Minhae is your aunt?”  
“Great aunt. Yes. I’m staying here for the next few months. Working on my thesis.” Seunghyun said.  
“Oh? What are you studying?” Jiyong asked curiously.   
“Film and theatre.” The younger replied with a small smile.  
“Interesting..”  
Seunghyun nodded enthusiastically.  
“I really enjoy it! I’m going to graduate soon and I wanted to really work hard on my paper and it’s-“  
But Jiyong wasn’t listening anymore about his studies. He was now looking behind the boy and his stomach dropped. There he saw it. His own room. Clear view right in front of Seunghyun’s desk. His mouth opened in utter shock and he just wanted to say something when Seunghyun’s question cut him off.  
“Did you go to college?”   
“What?.. Uh.. No..” Jiyong said and looked at the boy again. “I worked as a model.”  
“Oh.. And now?”  
“Now what?”  
“What do you do now?” Seunghyun asked curiously.   
“I’m a stay at home mom.”  
Seunghyun laughed at that and his smiling face was beautiful but Jiyong didn’t laugh.  
“I should go,” he said instead.   
“Oh…” Seunghyun’s face fell a bit, “Alright.”  
“Nice meeting you, Seunghyun,” he said and turned to leave.  
Seunghyun barely managed to say his bye when Jiyong was already out of the door. Jiyong said bye to Seunghyun’s great aunt as well and hurried back to his own home. Once he got there, he skipped up to the second floor and went to his and Haechan’s bedroom and quickly draped the curtains. He huffed and sat on the bed, frowning. 

That afternoon, Seunghyun’s aunt asked him to do some light grocery shopping for dinner time. It was a lovely day so Seunghyun didn’t really mind going outside and having a little walk. He grabbed a shopping bag and headed out. When he turned to walk along their street, he spotted Jiyong sitting on his front porch, smoking a cigarette. Seunghyun waved at him with a friendly smile and Jiyong gave him a small wave back, taking another drag from his cigarette. Seunghyun turned away and continued to walk along the street. He cursed at himself for finding the older man so attractive. He was simply gorgeous. But he knew he had a boyfriend. So he didn’t stand a chance. Didn’t mean they couldn’t be friends though.   
When Seunghyun got back from the store, small plastic bag dangling in his hand, Jiyong was still sat in front of his house.   
“Are you waiting for someone?” Seunghyun asked cheerfully as he got closer, a smile back on his face.   
“A delivery.” Jiyong sounded bored.  
“A delivery of what?” Seunghyun asked, taking a shortcut over the grass to his aunt’s house.  
Jiyong sighed and reached for his pack of cigarettes again, lighting one and taking a drag before answering.   
“My boyfriend pays this company to deliver food to me whenever I’m alone here,” he explained. “The delivery is usually at two but it’s almost four and it hasn’t arrived yet and I’m starving.”  
Seunghyun hummed and nodded slowly.   
“I hope it shows up,” he said as he backed away to his house and disappeared with a wave.

An hour later, there was a knock on Jiyong’s door. It took him a minute to get himself ready to answer it, but he was already excited because he was pretty sure it was his food at last. When he opened the door, it was only Seunghyun though.  
“Hey! Did your food turn up.”  
“Hey.. Uh… No,” he said, a bit disappointed.   
“Good!” Seunghyun smiled brightly. “Come have dinner with us!”  
“Oh no, I really wouldn’t want to bother you like th-“  
“It’s not a bother,” Seunghyun smiled warmly. “Please. Come. My aunt already prepared extra.”   
Jiyong looked around a bit.  
“Alright, uhm.. Let me go get ready.”


	5. 5

The evening with his neighbors turned out to be very nice and Jiyong had to admit he really enjoyed their company. He had always gotten along with Minhae, sure, but Seunghyun was a nice addition to the neighborhood. The younger boy was fun, smart, a good conversation partner and Jiyong wasn’t intimidated by his presents anymore, which he quite frankly had been at first. Seunghyun could look the total opposite of the man who he actually was. But Jiyong knew now what the boy was. A sweetheart. And he was hoping to become good friends. He was home alone a lot and sometimes wished he had someone to talk to, have a glass of wine with, watch a movie or just hang around. Things he already did with his boyfriend, when the man was home, but it was different with Haechan. They did all the couple-y things, but for some reason he couldn’t find a friend in the man. However, Seunghyun seemed to be a very good candidate for the position.   
So the next day when Seunghyun’s head popped up from the other side of the hedge, Jiyong welcomed it with a smile. Popping his earbuds out of his ears, he sat up from his loved chair and greeted the other.   
“Hey, Seunghyun!”  
“Hey!” Seunghyun was already wearing his usual boyish smile as he leaned over the bushes.   
“I’m going to the beach,” he said. “Wanna come?”  
Jiyong chuckled and put his book down on the coffee table before walking over, crossing his arms across his chest.   
“You sure you want to hang out with such an old person like me?” he asked with a small smirk.  
Seunghyun scoffed.   
“Old? How old are you then?”  
“Older than you,” he said and picked on one of the leaves on the bushes.   
“28?” Seunghyun guessed, expression playful.   
“You smoothtalker!” Jiyong laughed loudly.  
“I’m serious!” Seunghyun said, eyebrows hidden high in his fringe.  
“I’m actually 34,” Jiyong said.   
Seunghyun did an impressed face.  
“Well,” he smiled, “You don’t look a day older than 24.”  
“Then why did you guess 28?” Jiyong asked with a serious face.  
Seunghyun tried to keep his laughter under control but it bubbled over his lips and both of them laughed out loud.   
“So.. Beach?” Seunghyun asked when their laughter died down.   
“Yeah.. Sure!” Jiyong smiled.   
“Let me get ready.”  
“Alright,” Seunghyun nodded, “I’ll meet you up in front in fifteen.”

The closest public beach to them was Gwakji beach. It was only two or three bus stops from them with 703, but they decided to walk. It was a nice day and the streets in their neighborhood were super quiet and calm. A very nice place to live.   
So they walked along the dry streets, hearing only a handful of cars passing, a few chickens in the gardens and went past seaweed and fruits that some grandmothers were drying on the hot pavement.   
On their way there, they passed a nice café called Monsant and popped inside to get some refreshments.   
“Have you been here before?” Jiyong asked.   
Seunghyun shook his head. He was just looking around in awe. The whole building was made of mirrors and the inside was spacious and artistic looking. By the counter, there was a big heart shaped neon sign that said ‘I promise to love you’ and Seunghyun smiled. After scanning through the menu, they just got some coffee to go and got out of there to continue to the beach.   
“This place looks amazing!” Seunghyun smiled as they were climbing down the rocks by the side of the café.   
“I know!” Jiyong nodded.   
“We should come back here sometimes. Preferably in the evening. The sunsets reflecting on the walls is so magical.”  
“Sounds good,” he said cutely and looked at the older briefly with warm eyes.

Not ten minutes later they reached the beach. It was a lovely day, only just a bit windy, but the sun was shining hotly on them. Jiyong was wearing big stylish sunglasses but Seunghyun had to squint around, looking for a spot they’d want to stay. Deciding on a spot by the high walls made of the volcanic rocks of Jeju, they put down their bags and Jiyong pulled out a big sheet to lay down on the soft sand.   
“Help me lay it down,” he said and handed Seunghyun two of the corners.   
They placed their bags and shoes on the corners to fight with the small wind and sat down at last.  
“Ahh, this is nice,” Seunghyun smiled with a happy sigh.   
“Mhm, lovely day,” Jiyong said and sat down by Seunghyun’s side.   
He picked up his iced coffee again and sucked on the straw, mouth adorably pouty. Seunghyun was watching him from his side and chuckled quietly, amused. Jiyong looked like royalty in this humble beachside. Dressed in white, hair perfect even in this windy weather, hand holding the coffee cup delicately. Seunghyun felt hot all of a sudden. He got up and swiftly pulled off his t-shirt. Jiyong was this close to choking on his coffee.   
“Mind if I go for a swim?” Seunghyun asked as he was pulling down his pants as well.   
“No,” Jiyong shook his head and cleared his throat.  
“Go ahead.”  
Seunghyun shot him a smile and left his clothes in a pile next to Jiyong. The older just watched him go and walk into the waves. There weren’t many people in that part of the beach so Seunghyun was pretty much the only one in the water right now. The waves were a nice color of blue and the sun was shining through the clouds. Jiyong’s lips spread into a small smile when he realized he really enjoyed this outing. He turned to search through his big bag he totally needed for a short trip to the beach to find his pack of cigarettes when suddenly Seunghyun was back by his side. Wet and panting. Jiyong tried to pretty much ignore him but Seunghyun smiled widely at him.  
“Hey toss me a towel!”  
Jiyong side eyed him a bit but got one out of the bag and threw it on Seunghyun’s chest. The younger laughed and dried his face and draped the towel over his head and shoulders.   
“You smoke?” Jiyong asked him, offering one.  
Seunghyun snatched it from his fingers and took the cigarette between his fingers. Jiyong lit his own and handed the lighter to Seunghyun then. They smoked in silence for a while.  
“You can go for a swim as well. I promise to guard our stuff,” Seunghyun said then.  
“I’m good,” Jiyong mumbled.   
“Aww, don’t be shy!” Seunghyun teased playfully and tugged on his shirt.   
Jiyong leaned away from him then and frowned deeply.   
“Hey! I have a boyfriend!” Jiyong said loudly.   
Seunghyun pulled his hand away like he had touched fire and the smile completely disappeared from his face.   
“I know! I wasn’t trying to- I didn’t- I.. I’m sorry.”  
Jiyong tsked his tongue and looked away. He felt bad for reacting like that. But what he didn’t realize maybe subconsciously he was feeling a bit guilty being out with another man like this when his boyfriend wasn’t home. Maybe he was just being defensive over nothing. He took another drag from his cigarette.  
“Sorry. I.. I didn’t mean to yell at you.”  
“It’s alright,” Seunghyun said.   
“But maybe I should let you know that I’m not gay.”  
He lied. But it was for the best, he thought. Jiyong looked at him cautiously.   
“Oh…” the older said quietly.   
“I mean, you’re a beautiful man. But I’m not interested in you like that, so you shouldn’t worry.” He gave Jiyong a small smile.   
Jiyong looked at him a beat longer and nodded then.   
“Sorry,” Jiyong said again.  
“No I’m sorry. I realize now, I was maybe a little bit too friendly.”   
He gave Jiyong one of his charming smiles and Jiyong felt lighter again, giving him a smile back.   
They had finished their cigarettes once Seunghyun spoke again.  
“Really though, you should go for a swim. The water was really nice.”  
“Nah,” Jiyong replied with a headshake, “I don’t like how the salty water makes my skin feel.”  
He fished out a book from his bag and lied down, making himself comfortable.   
“Alright, as you wish,” Seunghyun said as he jumped up again.   
“I’m going in!” and off to the waves he was again.


	6. 6

After Seunghyun had promised himself to forget about ever having Jiyong after the incident at the beach, he tried backing off a bit, but remained friendly. He didn’t even know if he should think of it as an incident, because they talked in out very quickly, but it still made him think. The next day, he took the whole day to study. Time to cool down a bit. It made him smile, thinking about the day before though. Jiyong and he had a nice time and he didn’t regret the slightest that he had invited the older along. Jiyong ended up not going for a swim after all and Seunghyun started to think the older simply couldn’t swim or something, so he didn’t push it. The had had ice cream from one of the beach bars and went back home before the sun set.   
Later in the evening, he went out for a cigarette. It was pretty dark outside already, the back garden illuminated only by small lights by the little pathway leading to the rocks by the sea. Lighting the cigarette, he slowly walked down the path to the sea. He liked it here. It was nice. So different from Seoul. The soft sound from the waves crashing against the rocks really soothed him and cooled down his brain from using it the whole day. He was extremely thankful towards his mother for making him come here. He smiled a bit and turned to go back to the house. The lit up windows from his neighbor’s house caught his eye. As he walked closer, he saw Jiyong’s feet on the coffee table, moving his slippers a bit, a wine glass in his hand. The TV was on, and Jiyong was lying on the couch. Seunghyun couldn’t even see him, only his slippers, but the sight made him smile. He sighed at himself, for being this enamoured with the other, but he couldn’t change that even if he wanted to. 

At the breakfast table the next morning, midbite into his egg sandwich, Seunghyun saw Haechan coming out of a taxi and heading to his house. He stared at the man for as long as he could, until he disappeared out of the view. Once he snapped out of it, he noticed his aunt was looking at him weirdly. The old lady gave him a look and turned away to put some used dishes next to the sink before starting to wash them. Seunghyun just carried on with his breakfast. But for some reason, his heart felt heavy. 

The front door opened suddenly and Jiyong looked up from the couch where he was snuggled up on.   
“You’re home!” he smiled.   
Haechan put his suitcase down by the entrance and looked at him.  
“Aren’t you coming to greet me?” he asked.   
Jiyong put his book down on the table and walked over to the older man. He leaned up to give him a kiss and Haechan accepted it, pulling him closer with a tug on his robe. Smiling a bit, Jiyong pulled away.  
“How was your week?” he asked.  
“The usual,” Haechan waved him off.   
“It’s been mostly quiet here too. I finished my book. Went to Gwakji..” Jiyong spoke softly, even though Haechan clearly wasn’t interested in anything he said.   
Jiyong tried, though. Tried to make it look, feel, like this was normal. They were a family, living under the same roof. He wanted to feel happy.   
“I’m starving,” Haechan said then. “I haven’t had breakfast yet and-“  
He opened the fridge but seeing it almost empty made the words die on his tongue.   
“Same here,” Jiyong said, leaning on the counter lightly.   
“The delivery never arrived on Tuesday. We only have a-“  
“What’s this?” Haechan cut him off, taking a remaining half of an upside down pineapple cake from the refrigerator and putting it on the counter next to Jiyong.   
“That’s a cake. Minhae made it. Seunghyun brought it over the other day.” Jiyong explained calmly.  
“Who’s he?” Haechan demanded.  
“He’s the guy working on Minhae’s garden, remember? Turns out he’s related to her and is staying the summer. Working on a school project of sorts, I think.”  
“What does he want with you?” the older asked, voice dark.  
“He just came to say hello, we’re going to be neighbors for the summer after all and-“  
“What does he want with you?” Haechan asked, more firmly this time and walked closer.   
Jiyong looked at him.  
“He’s not gay,” he said.  
He knew this was what Haechan was actually asking. Were they fucking. The older’s hand shot up and grabbed Jiyong’s jaw quite painfully and Jiyong whimpered.   
“I’m not lying,” he said quickly, looking up into his eyes, “He told me so himself.”  
Haechan stared back deep into his eyes.   
“You know I can end you, right?” he asked quietly.   
Jiyong gave him a nod, even though Haechan held him tightly in place.   
“Good,” the older said and gave Jiyong a kiss on his squished up mouth.   
“Upstairs. Now.”


	7. 7

A week had passed. Seunghyun and Jiyong hadn’t seen each other that often anymore. They had shared a few friendly waves in the back garden but hadn’t spoken for a while. Seunghyun had figured by now that it was cause Jiyong’s boyfriend was home again. But there wasn’t exactly much he could do about it. Life goes on. He still helped his great aunt around the house and he liked his life here. Couldn’t help but think about Jiyong in the back of his mind though, and quite often. He maybe even missed him a little bit. 

Jiyong missed him too. He and Haechan had a quiet evening in. Like most of the nights they stayed at home like this. They usually opened a bottle of wine and minded their own business. Jiyong was watching TV and Haechan was once again on his computer, working on some of the shots from the photoshoot from last week. But frankly, Jiyong was tired of this. Now that he had had a taste of what life could be if he were dating someone else, he missed it for himself. He wasn’t a fool. Of course he had felt it. Of course he knew it had technically been a date. When he was with Seunghyun, he felt so nice. The day at the beach was lovely and he still kept thinking about it even now.   
He gulped down the last of the wine from his glass and sat up to pour himself some more but the bottle was empty. He needed more, though. His system almost craved it because he couldn’t take this bullshit of a life anymore. He needed a break.   
Haechan looked up from the screen as Jiyong was uncorking the second bottle of wine in the kitchen.   
“Thirsty, are we?” he commented.   
Jiyong sent him a glance but didn’t say anything. He was a bit tipsy already and knew better than to start running his mouth against the older. It would only bring trouble because all that could come out of his mouth right now was poison. He had just worked himself up in his head so much already, he couldn’t help it but feel moody. Turning back to the wine, he continued to pour himself some and walked back to the couch with a wine glass in one hand and the rest of the bottle in the other. He plopped back down on the couch and made himself comfortable.   
The hum of the TV turned into a constant buzz in the back of his mind, covering up his own thoughts. Soon, he wasn’t technically thinking at all and somehow the remaining of the bottle had been sucked in as well. Suddenly, there was a tug on his arm and Haechan was hoisting him up from the warm comfort of his self made couch nest.   
“Come on. You’re being pathetic. Why the fuck did you finish the second bottle?” he asked.  
“No…” Jiyong whined and tried to pull away.   
But Haechan had a strong grip on him and continued to drag him to the stairs. Jiyong slowly stepped up the stairs one step at a time while Haechan pushed him from behind.   
“I don’t know if you’ll remember this by morning, but I’ll go back to Seoul tomorrow. Some business I need to get to as soon as possible,” Haechan said lightly.   
Jiyong laughed at that as he got to the second landing and turned to enter their bedroom.  
“Why? Some holes still to fuck in the big city?”  
A skull cracking pain shot through him then when Haechan roughly shoved him to the wall. He got really close to his face and almost snarled at him.  
“Don’t taunt me, bitch.”  
Jiyong looked up into his eyes, suddenly fearless, probably from the wine.  
“It’s true though, isn’t it? That’s why you’re away so much. I’m just a hole for you too, aren’t i? I just don’t get it! Why do you insist keeping me here just for yourself? You could have anyone. And yet you keep me here like a fucking prisoner.”  
He pushed Haechan off of himself and the older was so stunned from the sudden counter attack that he took a step back.   
“You don’t even like me. Have you ever liked me? I’ve always had it,” he spat.  
He pulled off his t-shirt and threw it on the ground. He saw the look on Haechan’s face change and he chuckled.   
“It’s this, isn’t it? I’ve always known. This is what repulses you. I just don’t get it. Are you ashamed of me? You are, aren’t you. There were times when you gladly took me out to restaurants and outings. We were happy, Haechan! But what am I now? Just a pretty face. A convenient hole to fuck. But if people knew what your boyfriend actually was. A fucking freak. You’d-“  
But he couldn’t finish that thought because Haechan’s fist collided with the side of his face, hard. Jiyong fell to the ground, holding his palm to his face protectively. Haechan leaned down over him.  
“Shut up and put your clothes on,” he hissed and threw the disregarded piece of clothing back to Jiyong.   
The man disappeared to the bathroom then and left Jiyong alone. He touched the side of his face carefully and slowly stood up. He was feeling super dizzy and his head pounded loudly. He didn’t think, he just walked to his side of the bed and sat down. He put his shirt back on and took off his slippers before getting under the covers and curling up on himself. Jiyong clearly was in shock. He didn’t necessarily think of anything but tears started falling down his face anyways. Haechan had treated him nastily for years now but he had never physically attacked him like this before. He felt so small and weak. He switched off the reading light on his bedside table and closed his eyes. Even when Haechan returned to the room and got into bed not long after that, Jiyong remained silent and unmoving. Luckily, Haechan didn’t touch him anymore that night.

The next morning, Jiyong woke to the dip of the bed and felt Haechan leave his side. He was still facing away from the older like he hadn’t moved all night. Head pounding, he didn’t know if it was from the wine he had consumed or the hitting, and his eyes a bit swollen, the events from last night’s events came back to mind. His stomach sank and he closed his eyes again. Subconsciously, his hand came up to touch his face. His jaw hurt but he didn’t think he was too swollen there. He tried moving his mouth and thought he was okay. He was alright.   
After some while, Haechan came to him and sat on the side of his bed. Jiyong had his eyes closed still but Haechan started stroking his hair.   
“Jiyongie, I have to go now. I have to go to the airport, remember?” he spoke in a soft voice.  
“Okay,” Jiyong whispered.  
“I don’t feel so well, so I’ll sleep some more if that’s alright.”  
Haechan smiled a bit and nodded.  
“Probably from the wine.”  
Jiyong wanted to throw up.  
“I’ll leave you to rest. I’ll call you, okay? Bye,” he said and placed a kiss in his hair.  
Jiyong held his breath until he heard the door close after the older.  
“Bastard…” he whispered as fresh warm tears dripped down his face.


	8. 8

It was around noon when Jiyong got up from bed. He’d been crying and felt like shit but he forced himself to get up. He didn’t let himself be crushed like that. So he decided to go take a shower to freshen up and hopefully feel better. He went to his big closet and took out his floral bathrobe he loved so much. He padded to the bathroom and hung the robe up by the door. He went over to the shower then and turned on the water so it had time to get nice and hot while he got undressed. When he walked back past the mirror though, he took a good look at himself. Scrunching his nose a bit, he leaned closer. He looked like shit. Eyes puffed, face red. Turning his head a bit, he took a better look of his jaw and carefully touched it. It was a bit pink from the punch and it was a bit sore to the touch, but other than that he was fine. But was he? He was pretty close to the mirror and his eyes flicked up to stare himself in the eyes. He was thinking. How did he end up here. Why was he here. Last night’s events played repeatedly in his mind. His own words he had spoken echoing in the back of his head. He pulled back from the mirror and pulled his shirt off. Fresh tears threatened to spill over when he looked at himself, but he willed them away, looking away for a moment and blinking to dry his eyes. He looked back at himself and sighed heavily. His hand went up to slide over his torso gently. ‘Am I really this ugly?’ he thought. There was a time when he actually loved this about himself. Thought it was beautiful even. Artistic. Unique. But now he realized this was the cause he couldn’t find happiness for himself. For all his life people had told him how beautiful he was. He had worked as a model for god’s sake. Beauty was all he knew. All he’d ever known. And yet, now it turned out he wasn’t so beautiful after all. He looked up into his own eyes again. Even to himself, he looked pathetic. He got rid of his pants then as well and quickly got under the shower. The warm water nicely soothed him and he washed himself slowly, taking his time, enjoying it. After the shower, he brushed his teeth, blow dried his hair and made himself look presentable before putting on his robe and going out of the bathroom, down the stairs to the kitchen.   
Luckily he felt more like a human now and felt much better. The big windows in the living room showed the sea side view and Jiyong smiled a little when he saw how nice the weather was. He walked over to the back door and opened it. It was a lovely weather. Almost no wind, the sea was calm and the sun shined brightly over his head. He was pretty sure the warm sun should make him feel even better so he decided to have breakfast on his low balcony which was probably his favorite place in the house. He went back to the kitchen and got some leftover kimbap out of the fridge, poured himself some orange juice and grabbed a pair of chopsticks before going back outside. Leaving the door open so that the warmth could also spread inside the house, he sat down and placed the food on the table. Turning his face up to the sky, he closed his eyes and smiled a bit, feeling the warmth on his skin. This was so super nice. This is what he was here for. He could endure anything, just to have these moments for himself. Faint music was heard from somewhere in the neighboring houses but the constant splish-splash of the water in between the rocks nearby was overpowering the music. Which Jiyong didn’t mind. He laid back on the chair and had his breakfast.   
This was basically how the day passed for the man. He had gotten his book from inside at some point but mainly spent his day just there in his chair, enjoying the sun, reading his book. Reading eventually cradled him into a light nap. The day was over before he could notice. 

Seunghyun carried the heavy barbeque across the back yard, away from the house, next to the wooden table and benches. Minhae had given him orders to get the barbeque ready. It was a nice evening and the sun had just set a few minutes ago. The air was warm even though it was slowly getting darker and darker. The old lady missed the late night barbeques with her family, so she had said, and wanted to grill some meat. Not that Seunghyun had anything against that. He loved Korean barbeque. Minhae waddled after him with a tray full of already prepared food.   
“Go on, get the fire started. I’ll get the meats,” the old lady said and went back to the house.   
Seunghyun nodded and began piling some wood chips into the barbeque, crushing up some paper and adding it to the pile and lit it on fire. When the flames grew bigger, Seunghyun added some more wood and now just had to wait for it to burn down to get some nice coals. As he waited, hip cocked, he wiped his nose and looked up towards the house. The let windows from their neighbor’s house caught his eye of course, and he looked up, maybe hoping to catch a glimpse of Jiyong who he hadn’t seen for a couple of days already. Just then, he noticed Jiyong, sleeping on the balcony still wearing his bright floral robe. Seunghyun’s lips stretched into a smile despite himself when he realized the man was obviously asleep.   
“What are you smiling there, smileypants?” his aunt asked then, having arrived back unnoticed.   
Seunghyun’s smile grew and he pointed the tongs he was holding towards the neighbor’s house.   
“Jiyong’s asleep on their balcony.”  
Minhae looked over there as well.  
“Oh? Really? Oh, poor thing…”  
“I think it’s cute,” Seunghyun said with a smile, oblivious of the look his aunt gave him at that.   
“You should go over there and invite him to join us,” she said, tone light, as she started arranging the side dishes on the wooden table.   
Seunghyun looked at her then, smile faltering on his lips. Minhae looked back.   
“What? We have plenty food. Go on..” she ushered.   
“Are you sure he-…” Seunghyun started, uncertain.   
“Haechan isn’t there,” she said. “I saw him leave this morning.”  
Seunghyun looked at her for a moment, not sure what to think of this but thought his aunt had probably been getting weird vibes from Jiyong’s boyfriend as well so he nodded.  
“Alright. Nice. I’ll go get him,” he said and placed his tongs down.   
He went over to the rocky bits of their back yard and climbed over to Jiyong’s side. He had bad experience from doing exactly what he was doing right now so he was extra careful approaching the other. He reached the house and climbed up the small stairs up to the low balcony. He stopped just before he reached the top and leaned on the handrail, peeking over to the sleeping man. He couldn’t help but smile. Jiyong was adorable. Mouth slightly ajar, hands cutely supporting his head. Legs pulled up a bit, his robe was barely covering his thighs. Knocking on the wooden part of the handrail, Seunghyun softly called out for him.   
“Jiyong.”  
The sleeping man stirred in his sleep then and opened his eyes slowly. This time, seeing the younger at the same spot he had been standing the first time they talked, he smiled instead. He sat up a bit.  
“Hey, Seunghyun,” he said with a soft sleepy voice.   
“Sorry. I must’ve fallen asleep at some point.”  
He noticed he was only wearing his robe then and blushed a bit, pulling the fabric to cover himself a bit more. He looked up at the younger again.  
“That’s alright,” Seunghyun smiled. “I actually came here to wake you up. And wanted to ask if you’d perhaps want to join us for dinner? We’re having a small barbeque over in our garden,” he said and pointed behind himself with his thumb.   
“My aunt’s idea.”  
Jiyong looked over to the neighbor’s yard and smiled.   
“Oh that’s lovely. I haven’t had a barbeque for so long. Are you sure I wouldn’t be a bother..”  
“Of course not! Come on!” Seunghyun smiled widely.   
Jiyong sat up properly then and nodded.  
“Alright. Let me go get dressed,” he said.  
“Can I bring wine?”  
“You’re more than welcome to,” Seunghyun winked. 

“Jiyong! There you are!” Minhae called out when she noticed Jiyong climbing over the rocks to their side of the hedge.   
“Hi!” Jiyong waved as he walked over.   
“How are you, dear?” the old lady smiled when Jiyong got there.   
“Please. Sit.”  
“Thank you, Minhae. I’m alright, thanks for asking. It’s so nice of you and Seunghyun to invite me over! I brought wine,” he said and put the bottle on the table.   
“Oh! I can’t have any alcohol but you and Seunghyun are welcome to have some. Shall I bring some wine glasses?” she asked as she already got up from the bench.   
Jiyong blushed for making the older person do all the work by the table.   
“Thank you,” he nodded, “Sorry for the bother.”  
“Don’t be silly, dear,” Minhae smiled and waddled back towards the house to get the glasses from inside.  
When there were only the two of them, Jiyong turned to Seunghyun. The younger smiled at him friendlily and looked back over to the burning coals in the barbeque. Jiyong quietly looked at him, his handsome face, illuminated by the low burning hot coals, somehow even more handsome and manly in this light.  
“It’s almost ready,” Seunghyun’s voice rumbled over the crackling of the fire.   
Jiyong nodded and smiled.   
“I love barbeque! I can’t wait,” he giggled.   
Seunghyun smiled again.  
“Patience.”  
Minhae was back soon after with two old school looking wine glasses and placed them on the table.  
“Here you go, youngsters. You have yourselves some fun,” she said.   
“Don’t mind if we do,” Seunghyun came over and took the bottle to open it.   
He poured Jiyong and himself some. They clinked the glasses, which turned out to be plastic, which made them laugh, and the both of them had a sip. 

“The food was simply wonderful. Thank you so much again for having me,” Jiyong said as he got ready to leave.  
“It was our pleasure to have you here!” Minhae smiled as he took the last things from the table to bring back inside.   
“We’ll do this again soon, seeing we all enjoy it. We’ll make sure to invite you over again.”  
Jiyong smiled and gave the elder a little bow before turning to leave. Seunghyun walked him back to the rocks.   
“Careful,” he said and took Jiyong’s hand to help the tipsy man over to his side of the hedge again.   
“Thank you,” Jiyong smiled.   
“I’ll see you soon, Jiyong,” Seunghyun said and disappeared into the darkness behind the hedge.


	9. 9

Jiyong still felt the phantom of Seunghyun’s hand around his fingers even when he was in his bed not ten minutes later. It was dark in his room, only a little bit of the light from the street lamp peeking through his blinds. After he had found out that he was visible like that from his neighbor’s window across, he’d been keeping his blinds mostly shut. Jiyong was lying on his back, staring up into the emptiness of the dark ceiling. Legs and arms spread out under his light blanket, he laid there quietly, thinking his own quiet thoughts. He sighed heavily and turned his head to the side to look at his fingers, even though he barely saw them move in the darkness. Seunghyun on his mind, he felt alive and giddy. His hand could still feel his warm hand. He turned to his side then and curled on himself, hugging his hand close, a small smile on his lips. He tried to suppress his smile, but kind of failed in that mission. Pressing his knuckles to his mouth, his bright eyes crinkled in the darkness. Smile falling then, he caught himself. What was he doing? He wasn’t supposed to do this. To think like this. He turned back on his back and closed his eyes. Why was he thinking about Seunghyun like this? Alone in his bed in the middle of the night. Smile plastered on his lips. Palms sweaty. It was probably the wine, he thought, sighing a little again. He just loved the thought of being with Seunghyun.

Seunghyun loved the thought of being with Jiyong. The older was so sweet and fun. He had never met anyone like Jiyong before. They’d had a wonderful evening, the three of them, and Seunghyun couldn’t wait for the next time already. Secretly thanking the heavens Jiyong’s boyfriend wasn’t home much. He wanted to steal all Jiyong’s spare time for himself. He had told Jiyong that he didn’t like him, but he did. So much. He couldn’t stop thinking about him.  
After he had helped his aunt put away the stuff from the barbeque table, he rushed upstairs to his own room, bidding the old lady good night. As he opened the door to his room, he immediately noticed the drawn curtains in the neighboring house and he scrunched up his nose in mild disappointment. Jiyong must’ve been in bed already, he thought, since the lights were off as well. He went to the bathroom then to get ready for bed then. As he was brushing his teeth, he couldn’t help but smile at himself in the mirror. He simply felt happy, just from spending a few hours with the other. He brushed and brushed happily, maybe doing a few dance moves here and there, and washed his face before getting out of the bathroom again. Jiyong’s smile on his mind, he crashed into his bed face first and hugged his pillow close.

Seunghyun was the first thing on his mind the next morning. One eye closed against the soft pillow still, he mused about the little barbeque they had had last night. Jiyong honestly had never felt like this before, this happy, not since he had moved to Jeju with Haechan. And now this new guy just swooshed into his life abruptly and turned it upside down. Like a god damn pineapple cake. Jiyong hadn’t been happy for a long time, he knew that. But meeting Seunghyun made him realize how unhappy he had actually been. He pouted a bit and played with the hem of the sheets. He pursed his lips and really thought about it. Haechan wasn’t here. Seunghyun was. Haechan was an asshole. Seunghyun was nice. Haechan didn’t need to know about this. He could just spend time with Seunghyun when Haechan was gone and feel good without any guilt. There was nothing to feel guilty about, right? Seunghyun was nice, and his friend. Even if Haechan wouldn’t’ve liked them spending so much together, Haechan wasn’t here, so Jiyong didn’t need to play by the old bag’s rules. He bit his lower lip, a bit hesitant and doubtful of his own thoughts, but decided to just go with it. He sat up in his bed and scooted over the edge. He stood up and put his robe on. He pushed the curtains off the windows then and welcomed the nice sunshine coming through immediately, warming his face. He smiled a bit, but then quickly walked to the bathroom, because he was in the nude. A small smile played on his face though.   
Soon after, he walked over to his neighbor’s house. He was readying himself to knock on the door but when he lifted his eyes to the window by their front door he saw Seunghyun, waving at him, and waved back with a bright smile. The door opened just when he got up the small steps in front of it.   
“Hey!” Seunghyun greeted him with a sandwich in his hand.   
“Hey,” Jiyong smiled up at him.   
He allowed himself to be happy to see him. He glanced behind the younger but didn’t see Seunghyun’s great aunt anywhere.   
“I was thinking,” he started, blushing softly, “Would you want to go to the beach again? And maybe Monsant after? My treat.”  
“Wow,” Seunghyun’s smile grew, “I’d love to.”  
“Really? I don’t want to tear you away from your schoolwork.” He said, eyes hesitant.   
“It’s okay to take a little break,” Seunghyun said, leaning down a bit to catch his eyes.  
“Are you ready to go now? I’ll just finish my breakfast. Have you had some?”  
“I…”   
Jiyong was too embarrassed to say he came straight here and hadn’t even thought of breakfast. And the way Seunghyun was talking to him, softly, made him feel in some sort of way. Seunghyun read his face pretty well though and already stepped aside to let Jiyong in.   
“Come on in,” he smiled.   
Jiyong gave him a small shy smile and stepped past him, shoulder brushing the younger’s chest softly as Seunghyun was holding the door open for him.  
“Please. Sit. Have some. My aunt is in the back garden, working on some flowers, I think..” Seunghyun said, sitting down on his seat again and Jiyong followed him to the table, sitting opposite of him.  
Seunghyun leaned down on the chair and grabbed Jiyong some utensils from the drawer. He placed them in front of him then and pushed the spread out dishes closer to him.  
“Please,” he offered with a smile and took another bite from his sandwich, now having a little bit of a cheeky look in his dark eyes.   
Jiyong gave him a small smile, and not saying anything anymore, he picked up the chopsticks and scooped up some japgokbap. He took a small mouthful and chewed, eyes lowered.   
Seunghyun thought he was absolutely the most beautiful man he had ever seen. Quite shamelessly, he looked at Jiyong’s small chewing mouth. Jiyong was so soft and pretty and Seunghyun wanted to just lean over the small table and kiss him.   
Finishing his sandwich, he leaned over the table and forced Jiyong to look him in the eyes. He gave the older a cheeky grin.   
“I’ve got something for you,” he said.   
Jiyong’s eyebrows shot up and he finished his mouthful before answering.   
“Yeah?”   
They looked at each other for a moment. Jiyong then cleared his throat softly and spoke again.   
“What is it then?”  
Seunghyun just smiled wider.  
“Wait here,” he said and got up from the table, rushing up the stairs.   
Jiyong looked after him but turned back to the table after Seunghyun had gotten out of sight. He picked up a small potato pancake and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing, mouth cutely pouty. The sound of the door was heard from upstairs then and not a second later Seunghyun practically flew down the stairs with a huge grin on his face. He was carrying a medium sized box in his hands.   
“Here,” he said, handing it to Jiyong.   
“What is this?” Jiyong asked.   
“Open it,” Seunghyun said and sat down again.   
Jiyong tore the wrapper off of it and the box revealed to be for an inflatable swimming ring and Jiyong frowned, confused a bit. He looked up at Seunghyun.  
“What’s in here?”  
Seunghyun leaned over and pointed at the big inflatable donut on the box.   
“An inflatable toy?” Jiyong asked, confused still.  
“It’s for swimming. I.. I’m not sure if you’re able to swim or not but.. The last time at the beach..” he rubbed his neck a bit, suddenly a bit shy and rambling “I thought I’d get it for you. I thought you’d like it. I wanted you to have it.”  
Jiyong’s cheeks were flushed red now. This wasn’t the problem. He knew how to swim. But he didn’t know what to tell to Seunghyun. He looked at him and smiled again, sincerely.   
“This is really sweet of you, Seunghyun. Thank you,” he said quietly.   
Seunghyun smiled wider again.   
“Thought it’d be propriate to give it to you now, since we’re going to the beach again. I should get my things ready, by the way. You finish breakfast, alright? I’ll be quick.”  
Jiyong nodded and up Seunghyun went again. Jiyong helped himself some more food and tried helping clear up the table once he was finished. Seunghyun was back downstairs not long after with a backpack, wearing floral shorts, a simple white t-shirt and a white snapback. He went over to the back door and opened it.   
“I’m going to the beach with Jiyong, aunt!” he shouted and waved.   
He turned back to the older man waiting in the kitchen and smiled.  
“Ready?”  
They went back to Jiyong’s house for a minute to get his beach bag as well and off they went again.   
“Want to go to Hyeopjae this time?” Seunghyun asked as they were walking towards the bus station down the street.   
Jiyong looked up at him and nodded with a smile.


	10. 10

It was a hot day and every other window in the bus was open since it hadn’t a good air conditioning. Jiyong had the window seat while Seunghyun had the one next to him next to the aisle. The wind from the window tousled up Jiyong’s dark hair, but he didn’t mind. He rested his head on the backrest and closed his eyes, letting the wind blow on his face. Seunghyun gave him a glance every once in a while and couldn’t help but smile. He was so happy being here with the older. When the bus turned on the road a bit, their legs were nudged together and Seunghyun could not help but stare at Jiyong’s perfectly hairless smooth legs. He was wearing very short shorts and Seunghyun could only think ‘Wow…’. He rested his head on the headrest as well then and just looked up with a sigh, praying to the heavens he wouldn’t pull any stunts. But then again, he’d been a stunt puller since birth.  
“The next stop’s ours..” Seunghyun said to Jiyong as he leaned over to press the stop button.  
Jiyong slowly opened his eyes and squinted at him in the wind. He smiled and nodded, starting to check if he hadn’t dropped anything from his bag, just in case. The bus soon stopped and they got off.   
“Oh! The next stop is Hallim park!” Jiyong said as the bus drove away.   
“Uh huh,” Seunghyun stretched his legs next to him.   
Jiyong turned to him.  
“I’ve never been. Have you? I’ve always wanted to go.”  
Seunghyun started walking towards the beach and Jiyong followed.   
“I haven’t either. We can go, if you’d like?”  
Jiyong smiled brightly.   
“Sure! Thank you!”  
Seunghyun chuckled lightly at Jiyong’s childlike excitement.  
“How come you’ve never been there? How long have you lived here?”  
“Four years,” Jiyong said, “But I haven’t really been to places.”  
Seunghyun hummed.   
“Well.. We can go. When? Tomorrow?”   
“I’d like that,” Jiyong smiled.   
“When’s your boyfriend coming back?” Seunghyun asked then before he could stop himself.   
Jiyong’s smile fell almost immediately.   
“Uh.. Tuesday, I think. I don’t know.”  
Seunghyun noticed the change in him and got concerned.   
“What is it?” he asked, carefully.  
Jiyong looked at him and gave him a tight lipped smile.   
“Nothing.. I.. I just miss him, yknow?” he said and averted his eyes then.   
“I’m glad you’re here to keep me company.”   
He really was. Thinking of Haechan made him feel sick in the stomach though. He thought back when the old man had attacked him and his heart fell. He was ashamed to call him his boyfriend. Being with Seunghyun, he felt better, happier. But Seunghyun asking about his boyfriend like this made him feel like he was cheating. He knew Haechan must’ve had someone in Seoul. The older hadn’t denied it. He was totally shameless. Jiyong couldn’t even remember why or how he found out. Suddenly, he had just accepted this. He hadn’t been too surprised. Haechan was just that kind of person. Jiyong on the other hand had done nothing with anyone else since the beginning of their relationship. This thing with Seunghyun was also completely harmless. Yes, he admitted now that he liked the younger. But it was harmless. Seunghyun wasn’t even gay so this was nothing. Seunghyun just offered him companionship which he really needed. And yet, Jiyong was the one feeling bad.  
“I’m glad to keep you company, Jiyong,” Seunghyun smiled.  
And Jiyong smiled too. He looked up at the younger again. Seunghyun’s smile was so nice, warm and comforting. Just the thing Jiyong needed.   
They got to the sand then and they both took a moment to marvel the beautiful beach. Lots of people had come here on this nice day, but not too many. The little shops and food carts selling all kinds of yummy things were open and bubbling. The spots in the shade and umbrellas were mostly taken but most of the beach looked relatively empty. They spotted a few tourists here and there but it was mostly calm and nice there. They walked over to the left side of the beach, away from the crowds a bit, and laid their things down next to a big old looking tree log.   
“Wow, it’s so nice here. It’s been years since I came to this beach,” Jiyong smiled and looked at the nice clear blue water and the small island right in the middle of the beach.   
Many people were in the water, playing in the waves. The water in Jeju was super clean and the temperature was just amazing. The weather was sunny but with a small breeze, and the water was cooling and refreshing, but also warm. It was perfect. Jiyong really wanted to go swimming but he knew he couldn’t. Haechan had made it pretty clear that it was unacceptable.   
Seunghyun had laid down their things nicely as Jiyong was marveling the view. He took the sun lotion out of his bag. The sun was bright today so sun cream was mandatory. He took off his hat and t-shirt and nudged Jiyong’s side then, handing him the lotion. Jiyong’s mouth got really dry suddenly.   
“Do you mind putting it on my back?”   
Jiyong collected himself fairly quickly and took the bottle from him.   
“No, of course,” he said.   
Seunghyun sat down on their blanket and waited Jiyong to start. The older put some on his palm and rubbed the lotion between his hand as he kneeled behind Seunghyun. He literally didn’t know if he was breathing or not. Seunghyun’s skin was already nicely tanned and toned. Jiyong slowly lowered his palms on the younger’s shoulders and with small circles started rubbing it into his skin.   
“Like that?” he squeaked.   
“Mhmm, feels amazing, Jiyong..” Seunghyun’s low voice rumbled.   
Jiyong got courage from that and started massaging Seunghyun’s shoulders and neck and back. The lotion was long absorbed into the skin but Jiyong couldn’t stop touching. And Seunghyun couldn’t say he minded at all. They kind of lost themselves into this intimate moment. Until Seunghyun let out a moan. A freaking moan. Jiyong swore he grew hard in his pants almost instantly. He withdrew his hands then and sat back on his heels.   
“Alright, I think I’m done now,” Jiyong said.   
Seunghyun turned around a bit.   
“Do you want me to do you now?”   
Oh god. Jiyong literally wanted to lie down and spread his legs for him.   
“Oh, no no no! I’m alright,” he said, waving his hands.   
Distracting himself, he picked up the bottle of lotion again and started coating his legs with it. He wasn’t going to take off his shirt anyways, but he liked to keep his legs bare, just because he could. That on the other hand was putting Seunghyun in flames. He tore his eyes away from the older’s thighs, which looked absolutely freaking amazing, and stood up. He fished out his wallet from his backpack.   
“I’ll be right back,” he said and went up the little hill on the sand.   
Jiyong nodded and looked at him leave. He let out the biggest sigh then and groaned a bit. ‘What is wrong with me!’ he thought. He was much too young for Jiyong. And Jiyong was in a relationship anyways. Which made him groan even louder. ‘We’re just friends’ he reminded himself. He finished rubbing the lotion into his legs and then quickly and discreetly adjusted himself in his shorts. It felt a little tight.   
Seunghyun returned with two corndogs in one hand and a passionfruit drink in the other.   
“I brought treats!” he said and sat down next to Jiyong.   
Jiyong smiled so bright as he accepted the corndog.   
“Yum! Corndogs! Thank you so much! So sweet of you.”  
Seunghyun was glad to make the other smile and smiled as well as he took a big bite from his own corndog. They munched away in silence, handing the sweet drink back and forth between the two of them. ‘Indirect kisses’ Seunghyun kept thinking in his head like a child, but it made him smile.   
After they’d eaten, Jiyong kept suckling on the drink. Seunghyun on the other hand took the box he had gifted Jiyong just this morning and gave him a victorious grin. Jiyong smiled too but shook his head.   
“I’m not going into the water, Seunghyun.”  
“Aw come on!” Seunghyun whined and stopped blowing the big donut up.   
“Sorry,” Jiyong giggled, finding it cute.   
“Why not?” Seunghyun asked.   
“I just don’t want to,” Jiyong shrugged and took the straw into his mouth again to keep it occupied.   
Seunghyun pursed his lips but didn’t pry. He just kept blowing into the inflatable ring. Soon it was blown up and Seunghyun happily jumped up.   
“Look! It’s so adorable! Don’t you just want to try it out!?”  
Jiyong just giggled and looked up at him with a shake of his head.   
“Come on!” Seunghyun laughed at Jiyong’s adorableness.   
“Come on…” he said again and offered him his hand.   
Jiyong’s smile fell a bit by the younger’s sincerity. He looked up from his hand into his eyes and they were just so so warm. Seunghyun obviously wanted to cheer him up and make him feel better. Like he had known.   
‘Fuck it’ he thought then and took his hand and hoisted himself up.   
“You want me to go swimming with you? Come on then!”   
He ripped the giant donut away from Seunghyun’s grip and ran into the water with it. He didn’t take off his clothes or anything, just dived straight in. Seunghyun was a bit surprised at first but grinned widely then and ran after him.   
It didn’t take even an hour for Jiyong to dry down. The sun was nice and warm and he liked lying down there next to Seunghyun like that. He felt so chilled, so comfortable. Like they were the most natural thing. Tired from all the fun they had in the water, the sun lulled him into a light sleep, cheek squished, mouth slightly agape. Seunghyun was lying next to him and had been staring for at least five minutes now. He couldn’t get enough of the beautiful man beside him. Then, he got up a little bit and took a silken scarf out of Jiyong’s bag and placed it gently over his head so the sun wouldn’t get to him. He laid down his head again then and continued to stare at the sleeping beauty.   
After a while, Jiyong woke up and opened his eyes slowly.   
“Hey, sleepy,” Seunghyun whispered.   
Jiyong realized Seunghyun had been looking at him as he slept and felt super embarrassed suddenly. Hand shooting up, he checked if he had drooled, his face flushing pink. Seunghyun still kept looking at him though, unphased, and Jiyong looked back. There was something in the younger boy’s eyes. Something Jiyong should’ve known, but didn’t know how to read. It sent little warm chills down his spine, but he knew he was just dreaming. He pushed himself up with a small groan. He rubbed his face and looked around. Much time must’ve past already because the sun was in the other side of the sky already and ready to start sinking into the sea. Jiyong looked back at Seunghyun.   
“Wanna go to Monsant?” he asked.   
Seunghyun looked up at him and sat up as well.   
“Yeah, alright,” he nodded.   
They slowly started putting their stuff away again and soon walked away from the beach. Jiyong was barefoot and the asphalt was super hot under his toes but he liked it.   
“We should come back here some time. It’s so super nice,” he said quietly.   
Seunghyun just nodded. The sun had made them both a bit droopy, or maybe they were just hungry, but they stayed silent for the most of the way back. They got off the bus again at Handamdong stop, just a couple stops before their home stop, and went down the street to the Monsant café again. The sun was already lower, casting beautiful yellowish light on the mirrored building. There were a few people at the tables outside but luckily there were still a few vacant ones and they occupied one of them. They left their bags at the table and went inside to order some food.   
“Wanna share the Today’s pizza?” Jiyong asked as they scanned the menu.   
Seunghyun nodded.   
“I like the look of the hallabong pie. I’ll get that.” He said.   
“And I’ll get the ice cream. I can’t help it, I love ice cream,” Jiyong said.   
He ordered the food then, and some coffee for both of them, and kept his promise to treat Seunghyun. They went back outside to their table again and sat down, waiting for their food. The sun was quick to set and the sky was getting more pinks and oranges in itself. Jiyong couldn’t tare his eyes off of the view.   
“It’s so beautiful,” Jiyong said, cheek in hand.   
“It is…” Seunghyun said, but he was staring at Jiyong instead of the view.   
They stayed like this, silently marveling their prettiest sights respectively, until the device on the table buzzed loudly, letting them know their orders were ready to collect, waking them both up from their bubbles. They went inside to get their food and returned to their table. The pizza was super yummy and they both smiled at each other, approving right from the first bite. The desserts were delicious as well and soon they were full and satisfied. The sun was about to set any moment now though so they didn’t move from their seats but stayed to enjoy the best part. Both of them were looking at the sky and the sea now. It was an absolutely stunning sight. Jiyong thought back to their day and realized he hadn’t been this happy for a long time. And all thanks to Seunghyun. They had had a nice meal, they were enjoying this gorgeous view, they were together, but Jiyong secretly wanted more. He wanted to turn and bury himself into the younger’s arms and kiss him on the lips and properly enjoy the view from his embrace. He hated that he was Haechan’s property. As he had the thought running through his mind, his stomach dropped. It was true, wasn’t it? He closed his eyes to stop the tears that were quick to come. But he couldn’t stop them, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. He tried to discreetly wipe them away but of course Seunghyun noticed.   
“Hey hey hey,” Seunghyun frowned, scooting closer with his chair.   
“What’s the matter?”   
Jiyong looked at him and let out a breathy laugh.   
“Ah. Nothing. It’s just so beautiful, y’know…”  
“Aww..” Seunghyun smiled and wrapped his arms around Jiyong so the older buried his face into his chest.   
Jiyong let himself be hugged and he turned his wet face back towards the beautiful sunset, sniffling a bit, Seunghyun stroking his back slowly.   
‘Yes. Much better’ he thought.


	11. 11

After their outing the day before, they somehow felt even closer to each other. Jiyong couldn’t even get himself to sleep at night after they’d gotten home. He kept tossing around in his bed, kept thinking about the younger and kept smiling. Secretly, he wished Seunghyun were gay. Secretly, he wanted the younger to be interested in him. He wanted Seunghyun to want him for real. Kind of like Jiyong wanted him. When this dawned on him, he got serious. He wanted Seunghyun. He did. And he didn’t give a fuck what Haechan thought or would say or do. Haechan was fucking around anyways, why couldn’t him? And even though him and Seunghyun didn’t even do anything, he’d been happier with him than what he ever had been with Haechan. He sighed at that. He wasn’t even going to fuck anyone. These were just thoughts. But because he was angry at Haechan anyways, he actually wished he did have someone too. He sighed again and turned to his side, closing his eyes. He was a bit embarrassed to admit that he imagined having Seunghyun’s arms around him. 

Seunghyun was super excited for the next day. He’d slept like a puppy and was up from his bed as soon as the alarm went off. He and Jiyong had decided to leave for the Hallim park trip at nine so they could have a nice long day to enjoy. The park was super big so there was lots to see, lots to walk. Which he didn’t mind as long as the company was good. Seunghyun smiled at the thought of that.   
When he got downstairs for breakfast after his quick shower he saw his aunt was up already.  
“Up so early?” Minhae asked.   
“Going to Hallim park with Jiyong,” Seunghyun said as he plopped down in one of the chairs behind the table and grabbed a pair of chopsticks to start having breakfast.   
“Oh! That’s lovely. I love that place. I’m glad you are going. And I’m glad you and Jiyong have each other,” the old lady said.   
Seunghyun almost choked on his kimchi.   
“Uh huh. It’s.. it’s nice to have a friend,” Seunghyun said and continued eating, although feeling his ears burning up.   
“Young love is just so beautiful,” Minhae said lightly after a moment.   
Seunghyun definitely choked this time.   
“Aunt!” he said, shock in his eyes.   
“Don’t you ‘aunt’ me, Seunghyun. I’ve been the way you two look at each other. You can’t fool me.”  
Seunghyun swallowed down the food in his mouth and looked at her although she didn’t look back at him. He didn’t know what to say.   
“Just don’t get caught. You could get Jiyong in a lot of trouble with that bastard Haechan.” His aunt continued.   
“We aren’t even doing anything, aunt..” Seunghyun mumbled.   
“Well you should! Make Jiyong happy! The poor soul deserves it and is here with that old man instead. I never understood what he saw in that man. But Jiyong is such a lovely person. He deserves someone better. Someone like you, Seunghyun! You’d treat him well, I know it. Just go for it!”  
Seunghyun listened to her speak, a little frown on his face. He guessed his aunt was right. But she was also right about Jiyong’s boyfriend.   
“He loves his boyfriend though. Do you think I’d have a chance?” he asked quietly.   
Minhae turned around to face him. She walked over and patted him on the back gently.   
“Just give it a try,” she said.   
Seunghyun stayed quiet at that and finished his breakfast in silence. He checked the time then and got up from the table.   
“I should go now. We promised to leave at nine,” he said.   
“Alright. See here, Seunghyun. Take these with you. I prepared a little picnic for you guys,” she said, “Bit of romance,” she teased him with a cheeky smile and Seunghyun couldn’t help but smile back.   
She was super grateful for his aunt for the support. And maybe she was right about Haechan. He was determined to find out today. He put the neatly packed up food in his backpack, kissed his aunt on the cheek and was out of the house. He walked over to the neighbor’s house and knocked on the door. Jiyong answered the door with a smile a few seconds later.   
“Good morning! Ready to go?”   
“Yup!” Seunghyun smiled back.   
Jiyong picked up his bag which was on the floor next to the front door.   
“Alright, let’s go,” he smiled brightly.   
“My aunt packed us a picnic,” Seunghyun said as they walked down the stairs.   
“Oh! That’s so nice of her! She’s right though, we’ll have a long day at the park,” Jiyong said.   
He stopped then.  
“Wait,” he said and ran back up the stairs and into the house.   
Seunghyun stayed outside and waited for the other to come back. Jiyong reappeared at the door not a minute later, holding a wine bottle in each hand, mouth stretched into a grin.   
“Shall we make the park a bit more interesting?”  
“Excellent idea,” Seunghyun smiled back.   
Jiyong put the bottles into his bag and locked the door again before skipping down the stairs to Seunghyun. They walked up to the main road to the bus station.   
“Bus is here in 6 minutes,” Seunghyun said and they sat down.   
Their thighs didn’t have to touch but they did. They both held onto their bags on their laps as they sat in silence for a bit.   
“Sleep well?” Jiyong asked, cheek smushed into his bag cutely as he looked at the other.   
Seunghyun hummed and smiled.   
“You?”   
Jiyong nodded and smiled as well. Seunghyun wanted to explode. Jiyong so cute and pretty and adorable and great. He wanted to kiss his cute cheeks.   
The bus came around soon and they got on. After both of them swiped their t-cards, they made their way to the back of the bus. Maybe because it was morning, the ride to Hallim was spent in comfortable silence. The road snaked just on the coast line so it was nice to just look outside from the window and enjoy the view. The sun was bright in the sky again but a few clouds were floating in the sky this time too. It was nice. Soon enough though, they arrived to their destination and got off the bus. Jiyong smiled brightly as they walked towards the park from the bus station. They were both more excited for their time spent together than the visit to the park though.   
They turned into the parking lot of the park then and walked across it to the gates and where the ticket booths were. Once they were there, Seunghyun got tickets for the both of them. After what his great aunt had told him, he made it his mission to woo Jiyong even more and see if the old lady had been right about something blooming between the two of them. He knew he definitely liked Jiyong, but he wasn’t sure if his feelings were answered. He wanted to find out though. And he was hopeful. Tickets purchased, they made their way inside the park grounds. Seunghyun handed over Jiyong’s ticket and the older smiled brightly, grateful.   
“Thank you! That’s very gentlemanly of you,” he said happily.   
Seunghyun hoped Jiyong liked gentlemen.   
“Wait! We should get the map!” Jiyong said, handed his bag for Seunghyun to hold for a sec and rap up to the ticket booths again to grab a map for them to navigate by.   
Seunghyun definitely checked out the tush.   
The park was actually lovely and the weather was nice so they both enjoyed walking around a lot. There were the Jeju stone statues scattered everywhere and Jiyong asked Seunghyun to take a few photos of him as they walked down the bonzai gardens.   
“It’s so beautiful here. And so peaceful. I’m glad there aren’t many people here today,” Jiyong said.   
Seunghyun hummed and nodded.   
There were lots of things to see. Many different trees, bushes and plants. The cactus house. The different water lilies and so on and so forth. By the time they got to their little picnic, it was already well past two o’clock. Admittedly, they had already shared a bottle of wine between each other so the mood was good. They found a bench just next to beautiful blooming bushes and sat down. Seunghyun took the food out of his bag and made a make shift table from it.   
“Oh yum! I love Minhae’s egg sandwiches!” Jiyong giggled and grabbed one.   
He cutely got the sandwich out of the plastic wrap and started munching on it happily. The wine had made his cheeks beautifully pink and Seunghyun couldn’t help but stare. They were having a lovely time and he was really glad they had come here.   
“So,” he started, “Tell me about yourself.”  
Jiyong looked up at him.   
“What about me?”  
Seunghyun gave him a lopsided shrug as he chewed.   
“I don’t know. Tell me about your life. You told me you used to be a model? Why not anymore?”  
Jiyong thought for a few moments and then sighed, sitting back on the bench.   
“I used to, yeah. Started when I was eighteen. I was in the industry for ten years. But not anymore. I still do some designing though. But other than that, I haven’t really done anything for past five or so years. I’m basically depending on Haechan with everything,” he said and uncorked the second bottle of wine and took a sip.   
“What does he do?” Seunghyun asked curiously.   
“He’s a fashion photographer.”   
“Oh, so that’s how you must’ve met,” Seunghyun nodded, eyeing Jiyong a bit.   
Jiyong hummed, a bitter glint in his eyes.   
“How long have you been together?” he asked then.   
“Six years,” Jiyong replied.   
“Ah, that’s a long time. Must’ve be the one…” Seunghyun said, hoping to get a reaction.  
And he definitely got a reaction now because Jiyong scoffed loudly.   
“What?” Seunghyun asked.  
He really hoped Jiyong would open up. Because he really wanted to know and was curious. Jiyong just shook his head though and clicked his tongue.  
“Can I tell you something?” Jiyong said and looked up at the booming trees.   
Seunghyun just nodded.   
“I.. I don’t love him anymore. I don’t even think I ever did. I don’t even like him anymore, I think,” he said, sighing.   
Seunghyun stayed quiet and hoped Jiyong would continue.   
“Haechan is such an asshole,” Jiyong scoffed after a moment.   
“Lately, he’s been far worse than he usually is, and it drives me insane. He’s so controlling and possessive with me and.. He even.. he even punched me in the face last week.”  
“What!?” Seunghyun blurted out then.  
Jiyong looked at him quickly and waved his hands.   
“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it! I was being snarky with him anyways. We had an argument because he went to Seoul again and.. I just had enough. He’s been always mistreating me because of my chest but.. this is just too much,” he said.   
“What about your chest?” Seunghyun asked, frowning.  
Jiyong’s cheeks flushed red at that. He was rambling and not thinking through what he was saying.   
“Nothing. It doesn’t matter. What I’m saying is that.. I lied when I said I missed him. I don’t. I wouldn’t care if he didn’t come back at all and just stayed in Seoul or wherever he is. I simply don’t care. Unfortunately, I live under his roof. I don’t have anywhere else to go. So.. I guess I can do nothing about this situation even if I wanted to.”   
He sighed.   
“Sorry.. I’m just.. saying things I’ve been wanting to say out loud for a while now. And.. you’re a good friend for me. Thanks for listening.”  
Seunghyun looked at him for a moment. Jiyong’s words gave him hope, no doubt. So he was going to take a risk.   
“I have a confession too, now that we’re being honest here.” He said.   
Jiyong looked at him.   
“I lied too,” Seunghyun said, looking him in the eyes.   
“I’m gay. And I do like you,” he said boldly.   
“Seunghyun…” Jiyong whispered and sat up a bit.  
“No. I’m just being honest, because I did lie to you. Just because I thought it would be easier. But there’s no denying I have feelings for you. You are so wonderful, Jiyong, and you probably don’t even know. I just wish I could make you happier, because you deserve to be happy.”  
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jiyong said, a bit breathless.   
“But I do,” Seunghyun pressed.  
“I’m far too old for you,” Jiyong said, looking away.   
“You’re the most gorgeous man I have ever met,” Seunghyun said back quickly.   
Jiyong looked back at him at that, but couldn’t utter a word. He couldn’t believe this was happening to be honest. Seunghyun was so great. Why would a boy like this choose someone like him. Seunghyun ignored his staring eyes though and grabbed the wine bottle from his grip and took a hearty swig from it.   
“Doesn’t matter,” he said after drinking, “I’m just being honest. You don’t have to say anything.”  
He looked up at the older then.   
“Are we good?”  
Jiyong gave him a small smile and nodded.   
Seunghyun smiled too.   
“You want the last sandwich?” he offered it to Jiyong.   
Jiyong started to take it from the container when Seunghyun pulled it out of his reach.   
“Too bad! Egg sandwiches are my favorite!”  
“Hey!” Jiyong giggled. 

The sun had set my the time they got home. They walked back to their houses super slowly, almost like they didn’t want their day to end at all. They weren’t really speaking, only listening to the birds chirping and the wind playing around them. They got to Jiyong’s house the first of course so they stopped in front of it.   
“I had fun today,” Jiyong said as he turned to the taller boy. “Thank you for taking me.”  
“It was my pleasure,” Seunghyun replied with a smile.  
“Will I see you tomorrow?” Jiyong said with bright eyes, pretty much saying ‘I want to see you tomorrow’ instead.   
“You most definitely will.” Seunghyun smiled and leaned forward a bit, a cheeky look on his face, like he knew exactly what Jiyong was thinking, which made the older blush.   
“Okay. Good,” he said and chuckled a bit, taking a step back. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”  
“See you tomorrow,” Seunghyun said and watched Jiyong turn around and skip up his small stairs to his front door.   
The younger looked at him open the door with his keys and when he looked back before closing the door, Seunghyun gave him a small wave and a smile. Jiyong smiled back and waved too before closing the door. He leaned against it after he was out of sight and sighed heavily. A good sigh. He was feeling amazing and he knew it was all because of Seunghyun. His heart was beating in his chest and he smiled the brightest smile. He shook his head, at his own giddiness, and pushed off the door then and put his bag on the counter. He took out the two wine bottles they had emptied and put them on the counter. Just then, there was a knock on the door. He looked towards it in surprise and walked over. He opened the door and found Seunghyun standing there.  
“Seunghy-“  
But he couldn’t finish that because Seunghyun stepped in and kissed him. He kissed him for real and with no hesitation. Jiyong latched onto him immediately and kissed him back with a little moan. Seunghyun pushed him out of the doorway and closed the door with his foot. Jiyong let himself be kissed and totally surrendered. He felt like he was going to explode. Seunghyun tasted amazing. He was amazing. So amazing. He moaned again as Seunghyun deepened the kiss. Seunghyun held him close like he was the most precious thing in the world and he wasn’t planning to let go. Jiyong could only hold onto his chest. Seunghyun pushed him against the side of the stairs then and they broke the kiss, both lightly out of breath.   
“Seunghyun...” Jiyong whispered and looked up into his eyes.   
Seunghyun’s deep dark eyes were hooded and warm. He nudged his nose against Jiyong’s and smiled.   
“Just wanted to say good night,” he purred.   
That made Jiyong smile and his eyes shined so brightly as he pulled Seunghyun closer. In affection. Seunghyun kissed him again, softer this time but no less passionate. He pressed himself against the other and the evidence of arousal had nowhere to hide. Jiyong’s eyes rolled back a bit as butterflies went berserk in his stomach. He moaned louder this time and honestly Seunghyun wanted to have him right then and there. But he knew it was too soon. Too soon and too fast. This was just the taste. Just so Jiyong would want a meal.   
“Good night, Jiyong,” he whispered and planted a small, the sweetest little kiss in the corner of the older’s mouth and pushed off him then.   
With a last little smile he was out of the door while Jiyong was still leaning against the stairs, breathless.


	12. 12

The first thing next morning Jiyong jumped up from his warm bed to his bedroom window to check if Seunghyun was up already. His heart was beating loud in his chest from anticipation right from the very second he had opened his eyes. What was going to happen next? They had kissed last night. Jiyong could still feel the younger’s soft lips on his own. He couldn’t wrap his head around it yet. Seunghyun liked him! They liked each other. He touched his lips gingerly and tried to bite down a smile but failed miserably. He felt like he was young again.   
He sighed a little and sat down on the edge of his bed, looking outside his window into Seunghyun’s. He couldn’t tell if the other was up yet or not since there were no movements in the house next door. He waited a little while but since nothing happened he decided to go and grab his toothbrush from the bathroom and brush his teeth. He sat back next to the window and brushed quietly, playing with his toes a little bit when suddenly some movements caught his attention from the corner of his eye. He looked up out of the window and he was sure he swallowed a little toothpaste at the sight that looked back at him. Seunghyun. Only covered with a towel hanging low on his lips. Hair dripping wet. Golden skin all on display. Jiyong leaned closed to the window on animalistic instinct, when suddenly he remembered that he knew very well Seunghyun could see him as well as he could see the younger, if not better. So he stayed in the shadows and tried to hide behind the wall a little bit. He slowly kept brushing his teeth but he could barely focus. Maybe he was being creepy right now. But maybe Seunghyun didn’t mind that he peeked a little? He couldn’t tear his eyes away in any case so he kept watching his young hot neighbor walk around the room, towel drying his hair a little and just over all looking sexy. When Seunghyun walked over to his closet, he draped the used smaller towel over the opened closet door and went through his shirts. He picked one out and threw it carelessly on his bed. Jiyong meanwhile had completely stopped cleaning his teeth whatsoever, his brain only able to take one thing at a time right now. And that one thing was definitely Seunghyun. The towel around Seunghyun’s waist disappeared in a beat of a second, Jiyong could barely register what had happened but his grip around his toothbrush definitely tightened considerably. His mouth, still covered in toothpaste, was agape, his jaw slackened. All he could do was stare the boy’s perfect ass. Seunghyun was, fortunately or unfortunately, not facing Jiyong but he wasn’t complaining if he was being honest. Seunghyun was calmly drying his legs, moving up to his torso and neck. Seunghyun was so beautiful, Jiyong wanted to squeal. Until suddenly Seunghyun turned around and Jiyong literally felt his soul leaving his body. Was Seunghyun like half hard or something!? Because he was so.. so… so…. Jiyong couldn’t take it anymore and he fell down on his back onto the bed, eyes big, heart beating loudly in his ears. He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes, calming down a bit. He knew Seunghyun had kissed him already and that meant Seunghyun must’ve liked him for real, right? Because he definitely liked the younger. But still he managed to feel a bit insecure. He opened his eyes slowly and turned his head to the side, eyeing the toothbrush still in his hand. His other hand slowly came up to his tummy and slid down to his panties then. He wasn’t hard or anything but he couldn’t deny he was definitely aroused. Was this arousal though? Or was he experiencing something completely different right now. His fingertips lightly played on top of the fabric as he softly touched himself. Jiyong closed his eyes and quietly enjoyed the feeling. In his mind, someone else was doing this to him. Someone soft and gentle. Someone who’s mouth would give him light kisses on his neck and would hold him in his arms. Someone who’d smell nice and have a nice voice. Who’d have nice warm eyes and would say beautiful words into his ear.   
He opened his eyes again and sat up slowly. He didn’t dare look outside his window anymore so he just crawled over his bed, avoiding being seen from his window, and decided to finish brushing his teeth in his bathroom like a normal person.   
After that, he found himself a comfy shirt to wear and walked over to his dressing table by the window and sat down in his chair. He looked over to Seunghyun’s window again then and was glad to see the boy sitting behind his desk as well, doing something on his laptop, dressed this time. Jiyong smiled brightly again and sat up to open a window.

Seunghyun looked up from his screen when he saw movement across from the other house. His eyes lit up when he saw Jiyong looking at him as he opened a window. Seunghyun jumped up and went over to open his window as well.  
“Hey,” he smiled brightly at the older.   
Jiyong was sitting on his windowsill and Seunghyun could see very well that the older wasn’t wearing any pants, just little black underwear. He was definitely not complaining though.   
“Hey,” Jiyong giggled.   
He fucking giggled. He was so deep. Seunghyun only smiled wider at that. They stared at each other for a few moments, smiles plastered on their faces.  
“Sleep well?” Seunghyun asked then.   
“Mhmm,” Jiyong smiled.   
They could only smile at each other for a while again.   
“Are you busy today?” Jiyong asked then, a little shy again.   
Seunghyun looked over to his desk and his computer and realized he was seriously neglecting his school work. He also realized he didn’t really care if it meant he was spending time with Jiyong more instead of writing his paper. He looked back towards Jiyong.   
“Nope. I’m all yours,” he said.   
Jiyong smiled again, cheeks pink.   
“Do you… Do you want to come over?” he asked, something glimmering in his eyes.   
“I’d love to,” Seunghyun said. 

Not five minutes later, Seunghyun knocked on Jiyong’s front door. It opened immediately.   
“Hi,” Jiyong grinned.   
“Hi,” Seunghyun grinned back.   
They looked so stupid and adorable like this. They didn’t move for a few moments, both just grinning at each other like a couple of weirdos.   
“You put pants on,” Seunghyun commented cheekily and Jiyong giggled.   
“Come in,” Jiyong said at last and stepped aside to let Seunghyun in.   
The younger stepped inside and looked around a bit. He hadn’t been here in Jiyong’s home before, unless you count the little incident that occurred right this very spot just the night before. But then again he didn’t really have time to explore the house back then. Speaking of that incident, though…  
“So…” Jiyong said, leaning over the kitchen counter after closing the door after Seunghyun.  
Seunghyun turned around towards him again and smirked a little at the way the older looked at him.   
“So…” he smiled and leaned on the counter as well.   
“You kissed me yesterday,” Jiyong said, looking into his eyes.   
“I did.”  
They just looked at each other for a moment or two.   
“Want to do it again?”   
Seunghyun’s eyes were already on the other’s lips as Jiyong asked that.  
“Yeah..” the younger whispered.  
“Come here,” he said and reached for him to come closer.  
Jiyong did, scooting closer into Seunghyun’s space but still looking up at him. He hadn’t felt like this in the presence of someone like this in a long time, if not ever. There was trust in his eyes when he looked at the younger. Seunghyun pulled Jiyong closer by his waist and the older failed to breathe from then on. Seunghyun looked down at him with such warm eyes, Jiyong felt he was dreaming. The younger brought his hand up to Jiyong’s face and touched his cheek softly. It made his heart burst that Jiyong actually let him do this. He had wanted to touch him for such a long time. But Jiyong quite obviously answered his feelings by the way he looked back at him. Rosy cheeks, shiny eyes full of anticipation. Seunghyun took this time though. He enjoyed looking at Jiyong’s face. He touched his hair and ears, down his neck. Jiyong’s eyes fluttered, but he didn’t close them. He wanted to see Seunghyun. Seunghyun licked his lips on instinct then and Jiyong’s gaze dropped on his lips. He slid his hands up Seunghyun’s chest and felt his heart beat under his palms. He noticed his hands were a bit shaky as well. The way Seunghyun held him in his arms just made him feel so fragile but he hadn’t even realized how much he had actually needed this. For someone just to hold him. He looked back up into Seunghyun’s eyes.   
“Seunghyun… Kiss me..” he whispered.   
And so he did. He leaned down and claimed Jiyong’s lips with his own again. But it was different this time. They didn’t rush it. The kiss was tender and sweet and quite frankly perfect. Seunghyun held Jiyong closer in his arms and kissed him deeper, like he desperately needed to have a drink of the holy water that was Jiyong. The kiss was slow and thorough, and both of them just took their time to enjoy it. They were in no hurry.   
“You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this,” Seunghyun said then, pulling away from the kiss but keeping his eyes closed and nose bumped to Jiyong’s.  
“Me too,” Jiyong whispered.  
He laughed a little then and pulled back, looking up at the younger.   
“Aren’t I a little too old for you, though?” he asked, thinking back to when they first had met.  
“You don’t look a day older than 24,” Seunghyun chuckled.   
Jiyong just smiled up at him brightly. He got a bit shy then because they were still standing impossibly close to each other and Seunghyun was still holding him in his arms.   
“Have you had breakfast yet?”  
Seunghyun shook his head. Jiyong pushed away then gently and led them both into the kitchen.  
“Me neither. Come. Let’s make something.”  
Seunghyun mostly just watched Jiyong move around the kitchen. He was hopeless with cooking, but Jiyong seemed to be knowing what he was doing. Jiyong made them spicy steamed eggs and some ramen. They sat down by the dining table not long after.   
“Ah.. A bit too salty,” Jiyong said apologetically, covering his mouth as he chewed.   
“It’s good,” Seunghyun smiled.   
They ate in silence then mostly, just enjoying the food and each other’s company. Seunghyun loved looking at Jiyong chew with his cute chipmunk cheeks. Jiyong was simply precious. Seunghyun reached over and took Jiyong’s hand in his, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it softly. Jiyong had no words, honestly. He was shocked at the way this man treated him, so different from Haechan, who was his actual boyfriend and was supposed to love him. His heart dropped a little when he thought about the older man.   
“Haechan is coming back tomorrow,” he said quietly.  
“Ah..” Seunghyun nodded.   
Jiyong thought that when he mentioned Haechan, Seunghyun would somewhat back down from all this, but he was wrong because Seunghyun kept holding his hand.  
“That means I won’t see you as much again..” he said, sadness apparent in his eyes.   
Jiyong pursed his lips a bit and nodded, apologetic again.   
“Don’t worry, I don’t want you to get in trouble so I’ll back off,” the younger smiled.   
Jiyong squeezed his hand.  
“I wish you didn’t have to, Seunghyun. But it’s complicated with Haechan. It’s not so simple for me to end things.”  
Seunghyun shook his head.  
“Don’t worry about me. I will wait for you. I promise. I understand you completely. I just don’t want you to get hurt and honestly your boyfriend seems dangerous. So just take it slow. Please. Hmm?”  
Jiyong looked at him for a second but then gave him a nod. 

They ended up snuggled on the couch. They had opened a bottle of red wine but after a while they ended up cuddling so the half empty wine glasses were placed on the table. Jiyong’s head was resting on Seunghyun’s chest and the younger’s arms were around Jiyong again. Suddenly, Jiyong started placing little kisses on Seunghyun’s chest and at first it made him smile but the way the older was holding him close showed him slight urgency, like Jiyong was silently telling him something. Seunghyun angled Jiyong’s head up from his chin gently and kissed him. Jiyong kissed him back immediately and pressed closer, deepening the kiss. He rolled himself on top of the younger and Seunghyun’s hand were on him in a second. He kneaded Jiyong’s ass, making him grind down on his crotch and both of them moaned at the sensation. Seunghyun was hard in his shorts already and Jiyong wasn’t far behind. Jiyong totally enjoyed the big hands on his ass. He enjoyed Seunghyun’s taste. His scent. He couldn’t help but let out another moan. Seunghyun pressed their hardons together again and pulled back from the kiss.   
“I want you.”  
“We can go upstairs,”Jiyong whispered, panting a bit.   
Seunghyun nodded and Jiyong climbed off of him, taking his hand. They went up the stairs to Jiyong’s bedroom and Seunghyun turned him around the second they got there to claim his lips again. His hands went down to Jiyong’s waist and he started getting his clothes off but Jiyong pushed his hands away when he started pulling up his shirt.   
“Jiyong…” he whispered and looked at him.   
“The shirt needs to stay on. I’m sorry,” Jiyong said, avoiding his gaze.   
“Why? Talk to me. What is it with your chest?” he held him by his shoulders, brows furrowed a bit.   
“It’s.. it’s a mark on me.. I don’t want you to see it. It’s ugly,” Jiyong said quietly, shying away from his hold.   
“Show me. I want to see it. I’m not as shallow as Haechan, Jiyong!”   
“It’s not only Haechan,” Jiyong frowned. “My career ended because of this.”  
Seunghyun frowned then too and backed off a bit.   
“You can still show me. You can trust me,” he tried.  
Jiyong knew this. He knew he could trust him. He just didn’t want Seunghyun to be disgusted by him. He let out a sigh and just closed his eyes. They stood there for a little bit and just when Seunghyun started to think he should just leave it, Jiyong moved to pull his shirt off.   
The skin on half of his torso and a little patch down his left arm was deep red color. At first it looked like a burn but Seunghyun didn’t know what it was when he looked at him. Jiyong had his eyes lowered and he clutched the t-shirt tight in his hands.   
“What happened to you?” Seunghyun asked quietly.   
Jiyong let out a little mirthless laugh.   
“Nothing happened to me. I’ve always had it. It’s a port wine stain birthmark. It’s just.. big.”  
Seunghyun took a step closer then.  
“So it doesn’t hurt or anything?”  
Jiyong looked up at him, a little surprised.  
“No..?”  
Seunghyun raised his hand up to touch the red skin but stopped when Jiyong shied away. But slowly, he still touched Jiyong’s arm.  
“I think it’s very.. artistic. Why would anyone think it’s ugly? It’s unique.” He said.   
Jiyong scoffed and shook his head, looking down again.   
“Haechan says it’s disgusting. And apparently I can’t do my job as a model because of this. When everyone found out, almost all shoots I had booked got cancelled and it was almost impossible to book anything else after that. I was ruined. Everyone said I was ugly.. Worthless.. Gross.. A freak..”  
Seunghyun stepped closer and placed a kiss on his neck. Jiyong shut up immediately, a little shocked.   
“I think you’re beautiful..” Seunghyun whispered.   
He kissed down his neck and across his shoulder. His hands held onto Jiyong’s waist again.   
“Absolutely beautiful” he said again.   
“Seunghyun…” Jiyong whispered with a shaky voice.   
Seunghyun didn’t answer but pushed Jiyong to the bed and gently made him lie down. Jiyong couldn’t even look at him, he was so embarrassed, so he kept his eyes closed and tried calming his breath. Seunghyun took a moment to look at Jiyong, and he wished Jiyong knew he was completely sincere. The unique mark on the older’s chest was beautiful in his eyes. He leaned down over him, close to his face.  
“Do you trust me?” he asked quietly.   
Jiyong did. He did. But he didn’t trust his voice at that moment so he just nodded, but his eyes were still closed because he felt like crying. He had uncovered his dirtiest secret to him and yet he was still being sweet and gentle with him and it overwhelmed him quite a bit. His eyes were about to overflow and even the closed eyes couldn’t hold the tears back. Seunghyun wiped the small tears away from the older’s temples and placed a little kiss there. He pushed back then and looked at Jiyong chest again. He slid his fingertips down Jiyong’s chest. He could almost hear Jiyong’s heart beating in his chest and he wanted him to calm down, to feel relaxed next to him. He slid his palm over Jiyong’s tummy down to his hip bone and then leaned in, taking Jiyong’s left nipple into his mouth.  
“Oh my god, Seunghyun..” Jiyong gasped and opened his eyes.   
Seunghyun ignored him and focused on his mouth working on the small nub. Seunghyun’s hot breath and slick tongue were making Jiyong go crazy. No one had done this to him before. No one. And it felt absolutely amazing. When Seunghyun applied a little suction on his nipple, Jiyong gasped out and looked down at the younger. Seunghyun gave it another little lick and then looked up at Jiyong.   
“You like it?”  
Jiyong swallowed thickly and nodded. Seunghyun could only smile at that. He propped himself up again and kissed Jiyong on the lips.   
“Don’t worry about it, okay? Just relax.”  
Jiyong looked up into his eyes.   
“You don’t think I’m gross?”  
Seunghyun grinned and nuzzled him.  
“Absolutely not.”  
Jiyong smiled then as well, at last. He pulled the younger down into a kiss then and Seunghyun gladly gave him all the kisses he deserved. Soon, Seunghyun removed the rest of their clothing and they got properly on the bed.   
Pleasuring Jiyong was almost addictive and Seunghyun didn’t want to stop. Luckily, Jiyong opened up to him completely and so Seunghyun could act freely. He made sure Jiyong was comfortable with him the whole time. And Jiyong was. He truly was. Later, when Jiyong was slowly riding him and Seunghyun was propped up against the headboard, Jiyong took his hand and placed it on his chest. That made Seunghyun smile and he leaned in to cover Jiyong’s birthmark with gentle butterfly kisses.


	13. 13

Jiyong was on the couch in the living room again. Everything was totally normal. Just a normal day. The TV hummed quietly in the other corner of the room, the door to the balcony was open so fresh air, the smell of the sea and the little chirps of passing birds could come in. Jiyong was holding a new book and his precious soft blanket was on his legs again. But he couldn’t read a word from the book. Not when his mind was so occupied with events from the night before. A small smile tried creeping onto his lips all the time, but he had to bite it away since he knew his happy days were over soon. Haechan was coming home today and Jiyong already dreaded the moment. His fingers were nervously fidgeting with the book covers as he worried his lower lip. He hated the fact that Haechan was coming back. Although he knew he was being selfish, this was Haechan’s home after all. He laid his head on the side down to a pillow and sighed quietly. His chest hurt from all this stress. He just wanted to get out. He wished he could.

After a few hours, Jiyong was jumped out of his light sleep when the front door made a sound and it opened a second after. Haechan was here. Jiyong cleared his throat and sat up a bit, putting the book away and hugging his blanket close. Looking towards the front door he tried smiling a bit.

“You’re home.”

Haechan pulled his suitcase into the room and then went over to the kitchen to wash his hands. As he dried them, he looked over to the living room where Jiyong was sitting on the couch.

“I am. Come. Come say hello,” Haechan beckoned and opened his arms.

Jiyong hadn’t really realized until now how Haechan treated him. Like a dog, quite literally. It made him gag right now, although this was normal from the other man. He pulled his blanket off of his legs and went over to Haechan. What is there to be done? A dog has to be loyal to his owner, right?

Haechan smiled as Jiyong walked closer and leaned in to kiss him but Jiyong automatically angled his face away from the older. His heart dropped, fear kicking in. What would Haechan do?

“Ah…” Haechan chuckled and touched his cheek softly.

“You’re still mad about last week, aren’t you?”

It took Jiyong a moment to remind himself what Haechan was talking about, but then he remembered the bastard had punched him in the face just before leaving a week before. He laughed at himself for forgetting, but right now it seemed so insignificant. He had much bigger worries now. But he nodded, eyes cast to the side, away from the man.

“Thought you’d be,” Haechan nodded.

“So I got a surprise for you.”

“I don’t need anything,” Jiyong said quickly, shaking his head.

“Listen. You’re going to love it.” Haechan said with a big smile.

Jiyong just stayed silent. Haechan took a hold of his shoulders and rubbed them a bit.

“I’m going to Paris for a month.”

Jiyong’s eyes snapped up to him, thinking ‘yes!’ in his head, but he frowned then, thinking why would Haechan think this would make him happy.

“And you’re coming with me,” Haechan added.

Jiyong felt his heart crumble to pieces. He wanted to fall onto the ground and just cry. He did have tears in his eyes already, but of course Haechan mistook them for happy tears.

“N-no,” he stuttered, “You don’t have to take me with you.”

“Don’t worry about it, babe. I want you to come. I know you’ve wanted to go back a long time now. And you deserve it.” Haechan said and wrapped his arms around him.

Jiyong didn’t understand how could’ve he ever even liked Haechan. Everything he did or said didn’t feel good or sound nice to his ears anymore. And a month in Paris? With him? What probably used to be the dream, sounded like a nightmare right now.

Haechan hugged him close then and kissed his head. Jiyong wanted to push away and let all out, say everything he wanted to say, everything he wanted to scream at him. But he couldn’t. He knew he couldn’t. So he just took it. He wished the arms around him belonged to Seunghyun and the thought made him cry. He just wanted to run away.

“Go pack your stuff, alright? We’re leaving tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow!?” Jiyong pushed away from his chest.

“Yeah. Tomorrow. I have a photoshoot on Thursday morning. We need to leave as soon as possible and I got the plane tickets for tomorrow lunchtime. I mean.. not me. I asked the people in France to get me an extra seat.”

Jiyong’s heart was pounding in his chest and he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to go to France with Haechan at all. What was he going to say to Seunghyun? Jiyong was just getting happy after a long time of being miserable.

“I’ll.. I’ll go pack my things then,” he said quietly.

“Alright. I’ll take a shower. And then you can make us lunch, hmm?” Haechan said and kissed his head.

They both went upstairs to their bedroom and Haechan went straight to the bathroom after he had picked a change of clothes from his closet. As soon as the sound of the shower was heard, Jiyong went to the window and opened it. Seunghyun had left just this very morning after their night together. Before he went back to his own house they promised not to talk while Haechan was home and just wait. Jiyong stuck his head out of the window and tried getting Seunghyun’s attention urgently. Seunghyun saw him waving him over after a few seconds and walked over to open the window with a bright smile.

“Hey, miss me already?” he asked cheekily.

“Shh,” Jiyong whispered.

He looked back inside just to check if the shower is still running. Seunghyun’s smile fell.

“Haechan is home.” Jiyong said then when he looked back.

“What is it? Did he say anything? He didn’t hit you again, right?” Seunghyun asked worriedly.

Jiyong shook his head.

“I don’t think he suspects anything. Seunghyun… He’s going to take me to Paris for a month.”

Jiyong sounded almost apologetic. Seunghyun was definitely serious now and looked at the older with sad eyes.

“Oh..” he said, “That must be nice.”

“No! Seunghyun! I wish I didn’t have to go. I don’t want to go! I hate this!”

Seunghyun just nodded quietly.

“I’m sorry..” Jiyong said with pleading eyes.

“I would so much rather be here with you.”

Seunghyun didn’t know what to say or do. He wanted to ask Jiyong to stay, but knew it was impossible.

“I’ll.. I’ll just wait until you come back.” He said.

“I’ll still be here, yeah? I don’t worry about it.”

Jiyong felt like crying. He felt so hopeless and lost. He could hear the shower switching off then and he panicked.

“I need to go. I’m sorry, Seunghyun, yeah? I’ll talk to you as soon as I can. I love you.” Jiyong said and hopped off the window sill and closed the window quickly, pulling the curtains halfway closed.

Just when he turned around from the window he realized what he had said and he touched his chest, cheeks flushing red. He slowly turned around and peeked through the half open curtains to see Seunghyun still on the window, looking pretty stunned. Jiyong went closer to the window and pressed his palms against the cold glass. Seunghyun’s cheeks were pink too and that made him smile. He realized.. it was true. He did love this man. He kissed his fingers and pressed them to the glass. Seunghyun smiled then and sent a kiss back, mouthing ‘I love you, too’. And Jiyong wanted to explode.

 

That evening, just after finishing packing his suitcase, Jiyong sat down behind his dressing table to look for his passport in the drawers. He found it in the bottom drawer next to some papers. He sighed and looked at his suitcase. He was so fucking sad. And Haechan was right. I had wanted to go back for a long time. The fashion capital of the world. Jiyong had some nice memories from there. But now, more than anything, he wanted to stay right here. Absentmindedly, he flipped through the pages of the passport and ended up staring at his own face on his passport picture. Jiyong brought the document closer to inspect it and he read through the lines. Name: Kwon Ji Yong. Sex: Male Nationality: Korean. But then something caught his eye. The expiration date. It was less than two months from now. And it gave him an idea. He quickly put the passport in his bag and went to have a shower to collect his thoughts.

 

The taxi brought them right to the entrance of Jeju International Airport. Haechan and he exited the car and the driver helped them get their suitcases out. They went in and took the nearest escalator upstairs to the gates. They had already got their tickets printed out so all they needed to do was get on the plane. But Jiyong wasn’t going to get on that plane. He just needed Haechan to get through the gates first.

They were walking towards their gate and Haechan handed him his ticket.

“Come on. We’re late.” He said.

Jiyong looked up to the time table and saw they only had two more minutes to board. Haechan quickened his step and Jiyong followed suit. His heart was thumping and his palms are sweaty.

They got to the gate and fortunately for Jiyong Haechan handed in his ticket first and got through the gates. Jiyong stayed behind and made it look like he was fumbling with his bag. Haechan was already through the door when Jiyong looked at the airport staff apologetically and smiled.

“Sorry. I seem to have misplaced my passport.”

He quickly turned around, grabbed his suitcase and made his way out of the airport as quickly as possible. He could feel his phone vibrate in his pocket but he wasn’t going to pick up these calls. He went back downstairs and got on the bus to the bus terminal. As he sat down, he couldn’t stop the grin that bloomed on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the illogicality concerning the airport and the passport scene, ignore it for the sake of the story :)


	14. 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warning for this chapter. sorry for the wait, guys. i kind of.. wasn't happy w the last chapter and i felt like i ruined the story so i decided to quickly finish it before i completely started hating it. so here's the last chapter! hope u enjoy and pls take 15 secs to comment on how u liked the story. thanks everyone!

The whole ride back Jiyong felt super anxious. His knee kept jumping up and down and the nail on his thumb was almost nonexistent by now. Nail biting was one of his nervous habits since childhood. Even the breeze from the open bus window couldn’t calm him. He just needed to see Seunghyun. Over half an hour passed which seemed like in a second and soon the pleasant female voice announced the name of his stop from the speakers. Jiyong got up from his seat and off the bus when it stopped, getting his suitcase from the dirty compartment from underneath the machine. The bus drove away and Jiyong turned to his street to quickly hurry home.   
But when he got there, he didn’t bother even taking his things inside, leaving them just outside his door as he rat to his neighbor’s house and knocked on the door frantically. The door opened after a moment and a confused looking Seunghyun looked back at him.   
“Jiyong?”  
Jiyong didn’t lose any more time and threw himself into the younger’s arms. Seunghyun was still a bit shocked and taken aback but hugged him back. Jiyong drew back from the hug then and got on his tip toes, pulling Seunghyun down into a kiss. The kiss was desperate, but soft and awfully sweet, until something else caught them in their bubble. Minhae was at the breakfast table not two meters away from them, having some kind of unreadable expression on her face, but she was smiling.   
Jiyong pulled back from Seunghyun instantly and covered his mouth, shocked and embarrassed at the same time.   
“Oh my… Minhae, good morning,” he choked out, cheeks flushed red.   
“Good morning, Jiyong,” Minhae smiled wider, seemingly unphased.   
“I..i just.. came to talk to Seunghyun.”  
“Young people have a weird way of talking these days,” the old lady shook her head and turned back to the breakfast table.  
“Go on, go upstairs, get out of my sight,” she said but there was laughter in her voice.   
Jiyong was still awfully embarrassed but looked at Seunghyun then, who has pretty pink cheeks as well by the way, and the younger smiled at him, jerking his head towards the stairs and led them up to his room. Jiyong spoke again right after the door closed behind them.  
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. This was embarrassing,” he said, covering his cheeks.   
Seunghyun just chuckled and turned around to sit on his chair behind the desk. He spun the chair around again and looked up at Jiyong.   
“So.. what are you doing here again? I thought you went to Paris this morning?” he asked.   
Jiyong nodded and took a step towards him.   
“I was supposed to go.”  
“And..?”  
“I ditched him. I mean.. I left him at the airport. Or like.. in the airplane,” Jiyong chuckled as he talked.   
“It was pretty scary. Like in a movie.”  
“Isn’t he going to be like super mad?” Seunghyun asked, frowning a bit.   
Jiyong shrugged.   
“Probably. But he has a month to calm down. The important thing is that he isn’t here anymore.” He said and sat on Seunghyun’s lap, circling his arms around the younger’s neck.   
Jiyong leaned down to kiss Seunghyun again but Seunghyun placed his hands on Jiyong’s chest and pushed him away gently. Jiyong frowned down at him, giving a questioning look.   
“You seem like you’re not happy to see me?” he asked quietly.   
“No. I am! It’s just.. Wasn’t this a bit.. I don’t know.. stupid of you? I’m pretty sure you angered him a big deal this time and it seems like he isn’t the most stable guy, y’know?”  
Jiyong slowly got up from his lap, feeling really shitty all of a sudden.   
“I did it because of you..” he said, voice small.   
“Yeah but maybe you shouldn’t have?” Seunghyun looked at him for a moment but turned to pace around the room then.   
“I’m here just for a little while, Jiyong. I thought about it yesterday and..” he sighed, tousling his hair a little, “I was really sad at first after you said that you were going to be away for a month but.. Then I realized, maybe it was for the best? I’m going back to Seoul next month, y’know. I’m here to finish my thesis. This.. this isn’t some kind of fairy tale. I thought.. the month you would’ve been gone would’ve given me time to finish my school work and.. also maybe it would cool us down a bit. Y’know? Our feelings, and all that.. I realized.. Maybe we got lost a little bit and acted on our impulses too much…”  
After finishing his little speech Seunghyun looked up again. Jiyong was looking back at him but his face had changed drastically and his rosy cheeks were almost in the shade of white now.   
“Jiyong i-…”  
“No,” he said, voice cracking, “I completely understand.”  
“Jiyong I didn’t mean to-..”  
“It’s fine. You’re right. I’m sorry.”  
He took a step back.   
“I’ll leave you to your school work.” He said, turned around and opened the door.   
“Jiyong-..”  
But Jiyong closed the door after himself and was down the stairs in a second, not uttering a word more, not even to Minhae who was still in the kitchen. Jiyong got out of there but even outside he still couldn’t find himself air to breathe. He quickly went over to his own house and with shaky fingers fished the keys out of his pocket as he walked up the steps to the front door. He stood in front of the door, shaky fingers trying to get the key into the hole but failed. It frustrated him and his chest still felt so heavy his lungs wouldn’t work properly. And now there were tears in his eyes as well. He quickly blinked them away and got to key to unlock the door at last and heaved his suitcase in. The door slammed shut after him as he stood there, alone, broken, in this empty quiet house. He suddenly felt incredibly small. He wiped his nose with his fingers and sniffled a little as he turned around again and locked the front door. There was no one in this whole world he wanted to see right now. Leaving his suitcase by the front door, he walked up the stairs to his bedroom. First thing he did as he walked into the room was to draw the curtains closed. He then turned around and walked to the bed, taking off his socks and pants, he got under the covers. But he left his shirt on, like he was trained to do for many years. He put his head down on the pillow, closed his eyes, and let himself cry. 

Later that day, he was woken up by the loud knocking on the door down stairs. But he knew who it was, and he didn’t want to see him. Tears formed in his eyes again as he heard the voice he loved so much call out his name. But he was done being weak. He still felt like shit for being so fucking stupid. Falling in love in the handsome young guy next door. It was so easy. But Seunghyun was right – this wasn’t some kind of fairy tale. This was Jiyong’s life. Which apparently had been and always will be a tragedy. 

Five days had passed already and Jiyong had barely left his bed. He was lying in his bed, eyes open, but gaze not exactly there. He was playing on the sheets with the tips of his fingers as he slowly blinked.   
There was a knocking on his door then again. He looked up and pushed himself off the bed then. Seunghyun. Jiyong had secretly hoped he’d come back. Seunghyun still loved him, right? He got up from the bed and put some pants on before moving downstairs as quickly as he could. He was feeling a bit lightheaded but he wanted Seunghyun back so much. He opened the door.   
But a fist met his face and he stumbled down on the floor. Jiyong’s hand went up to his nose which was bleeding now as he looked up at Haechan who stepped inside and closed the door behind him.   
“Did you miss me?” Haechan hissed.   
“Haechan-..” Jiyong tried talking but let out a loud groan when Haechan kicked his side.   
Jiyong tried curling up on himself but Haechan was fast and grabbed him by his shirt and ripped him off the floor.   
“How… dare you..” he hissed.   
Jiyong looked up at him with big eyes full of fear.   
“How dare you do this to me..” Haechan said through his clenched teeth.   
“After everything I’ve done for you…”  
The older man harshly pushed him down on the floor and grabbed him by his neck.   
“You fucking whore,” he pushed down on his neck, “Ran back to your little fuck buddy the first chance you get, huh?”  
Jiyong grabbed his forearm with both hands to push him away but he was too weak.   
“Haechan..” he choked.  
When Jiyong was just about to pass out from the lack of air, Haechan let go. He leaned closer to Jiyong who was panting and coughing on his side.   
“I’ve always loved you, Jiyong..” Haechan stroked his hair, “I’ve always taken care of you, haven’t i?”  
Jiyong was now sobbing against the floor. He was so scared. He thought he was going to die.   
“Who took you under his wing when no one else wanted you, huh? Hmm? It was me, wasn’t it sweetheart? My plan worked brilliantly. You had nowhere else to go, didn’t you? And you stayed with me.”   
He gently stroked Jiyong’s cheek. Jiyong was scared to death of him now. And his words made him sick to his stomach. His whole life made sense now and he knew his downfall was Haechan’s fault. All of it. He wanted to die.   
“But then he came,” Haechan hissed again.   
He grabbed a fistful of Jiyong’s hair and punched him in the face and let Jiyong fall down on the floor again.   
“And you run to him the first chance you get..”  
“Seunghyun and I were just friends!” Jiyong cried out.   
“Just friends?” Haechan laughed.   
“Then why didn’t you come to Paris with me? I felt you had been weird for weeks. I knew it was that punk’s fault!”  
“I lost my passport,” Jiyong whispered.   
“I had a wonderful trip planned out. But you made me cancel all out plans, sweetheart.”  
He stroked Jiyong’s cheek again and the younger hissed quietly when he touched the cut on his cheekbone. Haechan leaned down and placed a kiss on his temple.   
“Now you know it’ll be worth to come the next time, hmm?”

It had been over two weeks since Seunghyun had seen Jiyong. He’d felt terrible after what happened between them the last time they had spoken. He knew he had hurt Jiyong but at the same time he broke his own heart as well. He didn’t know what to do. Jiyong’s curtains were always drawn so he guessed the older was still mad at him. Maybe it was for the best.   
On a Friday night, he finished his thesis. Turns out, when you have a broken heart, and a beautiful man next door wasn’t a distraction anymore, school work finishes itself faster. Seunghyun sighed. This had been a weird summer for him. He’d fallen in love for the first time, but he’d managed to fuck it up faster than anything. Jiyong was too good for him anyways. Too perfect. Seunghyun had nothing to offer him.  
He’d just finished reading his paper again when he heard his great aunt call him for dinner from downstairs. He stood up from his chair with a groan and went down to the kitchen.   
“You okay?” Minhae asked as she watched Seunghyun walk down the stairs slowly.   
Seunghyun nodded.   
“Mom bought me a ticket back for Sunday,” he said quietly as he sat down by the table.   
Minhae hummed. She put some dishes closer to the boy and sat down as well. She watched him eat for a moment but then spoke again.   
“What are you going to do about Jiyong?”  
Seunghyun looked at her but his eyes were sad.   
“What about Jiyong?”  
Minhae sighed.   
“Don’t act stupid Choi Seunghyun. You love each other. It’s so clear to an old lady like me.”   
Seunghyun lowered his head down.   
“I’ve known Jiyong for four years, Seunghyun, and I have never ever seen him as happy as when he is with you. He absolutely glows around you.”  
She took Seunghyun’s hand.  
“What happened between you two?” she asked gently.  
Seunghyun frowned and he felt like there was a hole in his chest.   
“I.. i.. told him that.. maybe us meeting wasn’t such a good idea and.. I’m here just to write my paper and-..”   
He yelped out because his aunt had hit him across the head, hard, and he hissed as he touched his head.   
“I was wrong. You don’t act stupid. You are stupid! What the hell is wrong with you, Seunghyun!? What did you do that for?” Minhae asked angrily.  
Seunghyun opened his mouth but nothing came out so he looked down at the table again.  
“Stupid stupid stupid!” Minhae banged against the boy’s arm.  
“I can’t do everything for you, Seunghyun! Sometimes you need to use your brain! Now eat! And then sleep! Tomorrow you’re going to fix this I swear on my own grave you won’t leave this island without Jiyong!” she said and stood up from the table and marched away. 

There was a knocking on the door and Jiyong walked over from the kitchen where he was preparing lunch for him and Haechan. He opened the door a bit, hiding behind it. He saw Seunghyun and he felt his heart skip many beats. But he knew he couldn’t react.   
“Yes?” he asked quietly.   
“Jiyong. We need to talk. Please. I’m so so sorry..”  
“It’s fine,” Jiyong said quickly.   
“Nothing to be sorry about. Now if you’d excuse me-“   
He started to close the door but Seunghyun stopped him with his hand. The younger frowned, seeing that something was wrong and Jiyong wasn’t being himself right now.   
“Jiyong…” he whispered.   
The door then flew open and Haechan appeared next to Jiyong. He held Jiyong by his waist and smiled brightly at Seunghyun.   
“Ah! You must be Seunghyun! Lovely to meet you at last! Jiyong’s told me all about you. What brings you over?”  
Seunghyun was, simply said, shocked. Haechan was home? Why? How? He couldn’t get a word out of his mouth and he looked back to Jiyong who’s eyes were now cast down. Seunghyun saw Jiyong’s face then, barely healed. His cheekbone was a terrible shade of purple and green with a little half healed cut on top. Jiyong couldn’t meet his eyes and Seunghyun’s mouth dried up. He looked back to Haechan then.   
“I came to talk to Jiyong,” he said.   
“Everything you want to say you can say in front of me. Right, sweetheart?” he nudged Jiyong and he nodded a little.   
Seunghyun felt terrible for him. He wanted to do something. Anything. But he didn’t know what to do or how to act. Jiyong was obviously a victim of an abusive relationship and Seunghyun had to be careful to protect him. He then remembered the cake he was holding.   
“I’m… leaving, tomorrow,” he said then, “I finished my paper. Jiyong’s been my friend during my stay here and I wished to say goodbye. My aunt baked this cake, which I know Jiyong enjoys.”  
He handed the upside down pineapple cake over and Haechan took it.   
“Lovely!” Haechan said and turned to put it on the kitchen counter.   
Jiyong looked up into his eyes then but neither of them uttered a word. Haechan was back after a beat and grabbed Jiyong possessively again.   
“Nice meeting you,” Seunghyun bowed a little to Haechan and then turned to Jiyong.   
“Thank you, Jiyong. For everything. I’ll.. I’ll miss you,” he said, looking into his eyes.  
“Bye..” Jiyong said with a small voice and with a last wave Haechan closed the door between them. 

Jiyong felt so numb. Number than he already felt for the past weeks. He couldn’t even cry because Haechan would ask questions. He was sitting behind his dressing table that night, looking at his face from the mirror. There was a glass of wine to finish before Haechan got back from his shower and he picked up the glass to take a sip. He looked back at himself in the reflection and sighed. His eyes were sad. Not to mention the beat up face. He scoffed. His boyfriend beats him. That’s his life now. He got tears in his eyes because his brain accidentally reminded him again what a nice time he had had with Seunghyun. Seunghyun. He was leaving tomorrow and Jiyong would never see him again. He already missed him terribly. He felt like he’d die without him in the next house. He put his wine glass down and turned to the window. He carefully lifted the curtains and peeked out. Something he hadn’t done in a long time. He felt even sadder because Seunghyun’s curtains were drawn closed too but something caught his eye then and he leaned closer a bit, brows knitted together. There were little cubes lined up on Seunghyun’s windowsill. Little cubes with letters on them, something that children would play with usually. They hadn’t been there before. But then he saw it. The little cubes spelled something out. ‘Come with me’. 

“Come visit me again sometimes,” Minhae said as she hugged Seunghyun one last time.   
Seunghyun nodded and smiled a bit.   
“Thank you for everything, aunt”  
He got into the taxi then and closed the door behind himself, but scrolled down the window to wave at his aunt one last time. The taxi driver was still stuffing Seunghyun’s stuff in the back so they got the chance to say their last words.   
“Tell your mom that I said hi and I miss her. Bring her when you visit me the next time,” Minhae smiled, her eyes dancing around as she leaned down to kiss Seunghyun’s head through the lowered window.   
“I’ll miss the both of you..” she whispered.  
Seunghyun looked at her with confused eyes but the door to the taxi opened on the other side then and he looked over and non other than Jiyong sat down next to him, closing the door after him. He looked over to Seunghyun shyly and smiled a bit. Seunghyun’s heart almost stopped. He didn’t think this would happen.  
“You saw it..” he whispered.  
“I saw it..” Jiyong whispered back.  
“You came..”  
“I came..”  
Seunghyun scooted closer and took Jiyong’s hand. Jiyong looked up at him and smiled beautifully up at him.   
The taxi driver got into the car then and turned to them.  
“Ready to go, sir?”  
Seunghyun looked at Jiyong and raised his eyebrows. Jiyong nodded happily and squeezed his hand.  
“We’re ready,” Seunghyun said, eyes not leaving Jiyong.  
He leaned down to kiss Jiyong’s lips softly as the taxi took off.


End file.
